Mountain Jewel
by bilboswaggins2
Summary: By being the daughter of Thorin Oakenshield, Allie Fairchild has gotten used to trouble. She leaves her life behind to come along on a quest towards the Lonely Mountain. As time dreads on she grows closer to the one person her father Thorin doesn't approve of, the company's burglar. Will she finally find her home and the love that she has been looking for? BilboxOFC
1. Reunited and new beginnings

Hello fellow Tolkien fans!

I hadn't thought that I would be here with a Bilbo/OFC story but here I am. I can tell that this story is going to be a mixture between the book and the movies, and mostly will follow the book. I will try to add my own elements into it as well.

I'm going to post some pictures on my profile about this story and about the main character Allie so that you all have an idea as to who she is. I hope to keep up with that and post pictures on there with every update.

I'm posting this chapter as a draft so I can still update it later. I just want to know what you all think of it so don't hesitate to write me any reviews about it. Please do consider that English isn't my first language and that I'm doing my best with it.

 **Disclaimer** : Allie Fairchild is mine!

I hope you all enjoy it ^^

x Milou Lilly

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 **Chapter 1: Reunited and new beginnings**

 **Hobbiton 2941**

The birds were whistling in the top of the trees and the laughter of hobbit children running down the paths filled the air. It was a warm spring morning as Allie unclasped her cloak and looked around her. Everywhere she looked she saw different flowers that were blooming and the scent followed her.

"Why are we in the Shire, Gandalf?" Allie asked curiously. "You never actually told me."

The tall wizard clothed in grey came to a halt. "Because this is where we'll meet the rest of the company tonight," he clarified.

"How do they know where to meet?" she wondered. "All these hobbit-holes look similar." Allie could already imagine that some of the dwarves would lose their way here and she couldn't blame them for it.

"Because I will mark the right hobbit-hole," Gandalf said as it that solved everything.

"But why exactly are we meeting everyone here in the Shire? Why not back in Ered Luin?" Allie figured. This was still something that confused here about all this.

"You are filled with questions, Allie Fairchild. I'm afraid I cannot answer them all," the wizard muttered. "I've promised your father that I would find the company a burglar." Allie frowned at that.

"And this burglar is a hobbit?" The thought of a hobbit venturing beyond the borders of the Shire was a silly one. She could tell how much hobbits valued their homes and wouldn't leave that behind for gold. She could hear the sharp intake of his breath.

"Yes. It will all be explained tonight. I have some business to attend here, which is why I need you to stay here for a while and lay low. Go and enjoy the market or something, or visit an inn. I will meet you on top of that hill around nightfall," Gandalf instructed and pointed towards the large hill that stood out. The hill leaded to more hobbit-holes. As Allie looked back she saw that there was no sign of the wizard, as if he had never been here at all. That left Allie all alone on the edge of Hobbiton. She curses softly under her breath for the fact that Gandalf had left her here by herself before she turned around and headed towards the market square.

It was late in the morning and she still had some time to fill before Gandalf would expect her. She decided to best fill in her time here by getting to know this place. She found the market square to be filled with different stands. Behind her stood lots of hobbits that were trying to sell some fruits and vegetables from their own gardens, or some other homely made products.

It made Allie's mouth water when she was welcomed by the strong smell of a freshly baked seed cake. Back in the Blue Mountains dwarf didn't know how to bake such things so she had never had tasted one before and she had to admit that she was curious. That was enough for her to purchase the entire cake from the brown haired woman, who gave her a friendly smile in return as Allie handed her some coins. The cake was wrapped in a red cloth and Allie stuffed it in her bag so that she didn't have to hold it in her hands for now.

She then went to look around the rest of the market, listening to the several shouts of hobbit's promoting their products.

"The finest apple-cider in all the West Farthing!"

"Once you've tried my carrots you will never want anything else again!"

"Get your freshly baked bread here for only a few coppers!"

Listening to that already brought a smile to Allie's lips because it showed her how simple life was here. Most of the hobbits here worked on the lands and sold what they had harvested. Back in the Blue Mountains that was entirely different. Dwarves weren't fond of growing things and that's why you would never find them working in gardens. They would get their food elsewhere, even if they had to travel half across Ered Luin for it.

Allie also purchased some of the apple-cider. Once she had seen enough of the market square it was past noon and heard her stomach grumbling. The last time she had eaten had been around dawn. She found a nice and quiet place to sit under an oak tree on top of a small hill. From here she had good view of the hobbits going about their business without them seeing her.

She took out the seed cake and the apple-cider and quietly munched on the crust of the cake, which tasted delicious. Allie felt sad that she had missed on something so delicious her entire life and hoped that wouldn't have to go long without it anymore. Perhaps she could one day introduce the dwarves to this way of baking.

While she at Allie kept observing the peaceful lives of the hobbits around her. A part of wondered why she was so fascinated by their way of living. Perhaps it was because she knew that she had hobbit blood running in her veins simply because her mother had been a hobbit.

Her entire life Allie Fairchild had been filled with questions with her father being a well-known dwarf, and her mother being a hobbit from the Shire. Because of this Allie had always felt a little out of place in the Blue Mountains. She didn't always share the same thoughts as the dwarves that surrounded her and she knew that there was a part inside of her that longed for a simple and quiet life.

Up until today Allie had never stepped foot into the Shire or had ever seen another hobbit beside her mother. She was a bit overwhelmed to see all those hobbits who had looked so similar as to how her mother had looked. They had the same height and curly hair as her mother had. They even shared the same round faces and deep fruity laughs.

When Allie had finished eating her lunch she went to a nearby stream where she washed the crumbs of her hands and splashed some cold water in her face. Here she found her reflection and a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at her. Allie had a long voluminous mass of red curls that reached the middle of her back. Her face was round and filled with light freckles. She wasn't able to grow any facial hair, unlike other dwarven women. Her lips were pink and full. If you were to only look at Allie's face you would assume that she was a hobbit.

If you looked further you would see that she wasn't chubby at all. In fact she was slightly muscular, something a hobbit couldn't be. She was around the same height that a hobbit would be, but instead of having hairy bare feet she had small feet that she now covered in brown leather boots. Allie didn't look like a hobbit or a dwarf. This is why her father always told her that she was special.

Despite the fact that Allie was a mixture between two races she had no trouble with blending in amongst the dwarves that she lived with. She was excellent with a sword and she had taught plenty of young dwarves how to fight with the blessings of her father, Thorin Oakenshield. Because her father was such an important dwarf everyone in the Blue Mountain knew who she was. She was often asked for her opinion about council matters by him.

About three weeks ago her father had told her that he was going on a quest to reclaim Erebor from the dragon Smaug and that she had to rule in his absence in the Blue Mountains. He didn't give her a chance to argue with her because he left shortly after that, leaving her alone. She remained there for about a week while more dwarves left to join her father. Then Gandalf appeared on her doorstep with the promise that he would take her with him on this quest and she had accepted right away. She had asked her aunt Dis to rule in her stead.

So that was how Allie had ended up here in the Shire with Gandalf and that they would meet the rest of the company later today. As time dreaded on Allie grew a bit more anxious about that meeting, wondering how furious her father was going to be with her for leaving their home without his permission. Gandalf had convinced her that he would help her with changing her father's mind about her staying here, else he never would've asked her to come with him.

After sitting under the tree for a few hours Allie decided to go for a walk through the small town. She wasn't up for visiting the local taverns and knew that some fresh air would be a better choice. Plus this gave her a good opportunity to get a take a closer look at the different hobbits that resided here.

Allie did her best to blend in between the hobbits, but still she could feel their eyes burning in her back as she went along. It was clear that they were all wondering what someone like her was doing in these parts. It made her feel as if there was no place for her here.

She watched them interact with one another in cheerful manners. She also saw how some of the male hobbits were spending their spare time fishing in a nearby lake, enjoying the afternoon sun. It all seemed so peaceful as if she had stepped into a dream. Allie never could imagine dwarves doing something like that.

As time dreaded on the sky grew darker and it had grown colder. Allie was wearing her cloak again as she headed up the hill where Gandalf had told her to go. While she walked she saw how the hobbits that had ventured outside all day now went back inside their warm hobbit-holes fill their stomachs. It really was a simple life. A part of Allie wondered if she was cut out to live a live like that.

As she stood on the hill she saw Gandalf approaching shortly after nightfall. "I take it you had a good day here in the Shire," he said as soon as he stood beside her.

Allie gazed up at him, biting her lip. "I did, but it was also a bit weird. I've never seen another hobbit besides my mother before," she admitted. "She had told me tales about the Shire when I was little, but I had truly no idea they lived this way. It's the complete opposite from how the dwarves live."

"You're right of course," Gandalf agreed. "The dwarves have no time for a peaceful live. They have seen the evils in this world, plus they have completely different natures. You, Allie Fairchild, have a bit of both of that in you. You are kinder and gentle natured than the dwarves are, but you're also courageous and bold as a dwarf."

That made Allie smile. "You sure know how to flatter a woman." She was about to say something else to the wizard but stopped when she heard someone else calling her name.

"Allie, is that you?"

She was able to recognize that voice everywhere. It was no one else that Bombur. He was accompanied by Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bombur, Ori, Nori and Dori. She had seen all of them for the last time when they had departed the Blue Mountains and they all looked surprised to see her here.

She didn't get any time to give an answer because she was already pulled into embraces by them as they were all pleased to see her. It was in the end Gandalf who informed the dwarves about why she was here and they all asked no more questions about it.

"Are the others already there?" Allie asked Gandalf who only nodded in answer.

After a couple of minutes of walking they stood in front of the largest hobbit-hole that Allie had encountered today. The garden was filled with a large amount of different flowers in all kinds of colors. As she looked at it she couldn't help but think that it all looked very down to earth, despite the size of it all.

On the door was a queer mark and Allie could only assume that Gandalf had put it there earlier this day only to let the rest of the company know where they would be meeting. It surprised Allie that he had chosen a place where apparently a wealthy hobbit family was living. It baffled her.

Nori was the one who rang the bell. As Allie patiently waited the dwarves were leaning against the door. She was able to hear sounds of more people coming from inside, which only confirmed that the others were already here. Perhaps her father as well... At that Allie fidgeted a little with her family ring.

The door was pulled open and the dwarves that had been leaning against the door fell onto the floor. Behind them stood a middle-aged hobbit man. He had a mop of chestnut curls and eyes as blue as sky was earlier today. He was wearing an expensive looking red robe, a white shirt and green greyish breeches. He wasn't looking too pleased with their arrival.

"Gandalf," the hobbit said, sounding a little relieved.

Quickly the dwarves that lay before him scrambled onto their feet and introduced themselves to the hobbit. Because they were making so much noise Allie wasn't able to hear him say his name. Since Allie was standing behind Gandalf there was no way that he had seen her yet.

As Allie gazed up again she found that the others had already gone inside and that she was left behind with the owner of this hobbit-hole. He was looking at her with raised eyebrows as if he hadn't been expecting to see a woman.

Allie cleared her throat. "Allie Fairchild at your service."

He seemed slightly nervous and flashed her a small smile. "Bilbo Baggins at yours." At that he stepped aside, giving her room to enter his house. He was already hurrying down after the other dwarfs down the tunnels of Bag End, leaving Allie to close the door behind her.

As she was alone for a moment she took her time to study the interior of this hobbit-hole. Everything inside was bigger than she thought it would be and this place truly screamed comfort. By looking at it she could understand why hobbits refused to leave the Shire. She would too if she had lived in such a place. While she slowly walked down the tunnels towards the sounds she heard, she gazed at the different paintings that hung on the wall. She assumed that these were master Baggins parents, for they looked rather similar.

When she stepped into the main hall she found that most of the dwarves were running around, gathering food, ale and carrying furniture towards the dining room. Her gaze fell on Bilbo who was looking rather red-headed at this situation because these dwarves were ransacking his beloved house. At the state of the now rather empty pantry she figured that the dwarves had already taken most of his food.

"Allie!" two dwarves pretty much echoed together. Allie turned around and stood face to face with her younger cousins and immediately she was pulled into their arms. At that moment she realized how much she had missed them since they had left behind her.

"Gandalf just told us that he had brought you with him," Kili said. "But we didn't believe him until we saw you."

"I'm glad you're here, Allie," Fili added cheerfully. "I'm sure uncle Thorin will come around as well. Don't worry too much about him."

"I won't," Allie assured him. "It's just good to be here. Someone has to keep an eye on the two of you." And she meant what she said. Because she was older than they were she had always been watching over the two of them, making sure they wouldn't get into too much trouble. She was incredibly fond of them.

"We don't need you for that," Fili responded with a huff. "We can perfectly manage on our own."

That made Allie chuckle. "Are you sure about that? I remember a certain incident with some apples and-"

"Best not to dwell onto the past," Kili quickly interrupted her, not wanting to be remembered at that time he and Fili had done something which had angered their uncle a lot, which had resulted into him not talking to them for weeks. Allie always enjoyed bringing it up.

"Exactly," Fili agreed with his brother, scratching his beard. "We are here at the beginning of an exciting quest. If we succeed our people will be able to live in Erebor once more, where we belong. We can finally move on then."

Allie had to admit that did sound like a dream coming true. They had grown up hearing the tales about the wonders of Erebor, but never had been privileged enough to see their homeland with their own eyes. All they had known were how mighty their people had been when they still had lived in the mountain. That all changed after Smaug. Now they had nothing.

After their short reunion Fili and Kili went to help the other dwarves. Allie then came across Balin and Dwalin who she hadn't spoken to yet. Ever since Allie had been little she had always looked up to the two dwarves and she cared a great deal about them, so it felt great to be reunited with them once more.

"If it isn't my favorite lass?" Balin said with a laugh as he briefly embraced her. "I have to say that I'm not so surprised to see you here. I already had my suspicion that you would follow us."

"Same here," Dwalin agreed. "You're not made for staying behind by yourself. I could see how miserable you were when we departed. I was quite upset with your father's decision when he told me you would stay in the Blue Mountains. I could tell how much how you wanted to come with us. You made the right choice by coming here." The tough looking dwarf didn't hesitate to embrace her as well. Now Allie had been reunited with all the dwarves she hadn't seen for weeks. All except her father.

"It was painful to stay behind," Allie admitted. "I've told my father that I'm not made to rule our people and that's not what I wanted, but it mattered little to him. When Gandalf came to me with the question if I wanted to come along, I didn't hesitate. I let Dis rule in my stead."

At that Dwalin chuckled. "Of course you did. You're Allie Fairchild after all. The settlement will be in good hands with Dis."

"You're going to see the world," Balin said promisingly.

Their moment too came to an end as Dwalin and Balin went to join the other dwarves. By now the entire table in the dining hall was filled with all the food from the pantry as the dwarves were gathered around it. Food was being thrown at one another and loud laughter filled the air.

From the corner of her eyes Allie could see Bilbo looking grimmer by the second and she pitied him. She could imagine that it was upsetting when a bunch of dwarves were making a total mess from your house and were eating all of your food. At that moment she noticed that there was no female hobbit in this house, which made it possible that this halfling was a bachelor. That gave Allie some questions because she was sure that a wealthy hobbit like Bilbo had no problem with the women. Perhaps she saw that wrong.

By now the dwarves were doing a drinking contest and it ended with a very loud belch from Ori, and at that Bilbo's face went even more sour. The way that the dwarves were behaving was clearly something he wasn't accustomed to. This was something a hobbit would never do, despite their fondness of food.

Allie had not taken any part in the drinking contest or the eating, but now Kili handed her some ale while Gloin handed her some bread. "You have to eat something, lass," the red haired dwarf had said. Still Allie decided to keep her distance from the dwarves and kept her eye on them from the hallway while she quietly ate something.

It didn't take long for the dwarves to finish eating their dinner. After that some of them went back to exploring the house. Nori had a chain of sausages hanging around his neck and Bofur grabbed them from him, making them play tug-of-war for it.

Bilbo was complaining about everything to Gandalf. From where she was standing Allie wasn't able to hear them but she could see the anger on Bilbo's face. They were interrupted by Ori who came to ask them a question and before Allie knew it Fili came to take Ori's plate and threw it towards his brother.

At that the other dwarves chimed in and more utensils and plates were being thrown. Some of the dwarves were rhythmically drumming on the table with their utensils and their fists. This of course only upset Bilbo more.

As more plated and pots flew the dwarves began to sing and Allie could only watch it with a small smile on her face.

 _"Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

 _Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

 _Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

 _Cut the cloth and tread on the fat_

 _Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

 _Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

 _Splash the wine on every door_

 _Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

 _Pound them up with a thumping pole_

 _When you've finished, if any are whole_

 _Send them down the hall to roll_

 _..._

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

By the time the song ended all the dishes were done and the plates were neatly stacked on the now clean table. The person who looked most surprised to see it all there was no one else than Bilbo Baggins. At the sight of the cleaned plates he could only crack a small smile, especially because all the dwarves were laughing at his reaction. The laughter in the room died when there came three knocks on the door and everyone fell silent. They all looked at each other in anticipation. Allie was the only one who took a small sip from her ale. Her father had arrived.

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 _Just to give you a small idea but Allie is a few inches shorter than Bilbo is :)_


	2. Time for talking

**I come back bearing a short chapter. Hope you will like this one! Please let me know what you think!**

 **Guest: Glad you find it interesting and I hope you'll like it :) Thanks for the review.**

 **Silversun XD: Awh thanks! You're absolutely right. The Halfling deserves nothing but happiness.**

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 **Chapter 2: Time for talking**

Allie was shuffling nervously as she followed everyone else through the tunnels of Bag End and towards the front door. She had dropped her tankard somewhere and watched how Gandalf was the one who opened the door.

Just like they had predicted a Thorin Oakenshield with long black hair and a matching short beard was standing greeted the wizard and stepped inside the hobbit-hole. His posture seemed regal and he had a rather stern look on his face, which matches his dark eyebrows. He only flashed a tiny smile at the sight of a few of the dwarves here.

From where she was standing behind Dwalin Allie heard Thorin quietly talking with Gandalf and Bilbo about the halfling's lack of skills.

Then Thorin's gaze met that of Allie and the dwarf froze in the middle of his sentence. Everyone was now looking at the red haired woman and realized that she wasn't supposed to be here and Thorin had just realized that his daughter hadn't listened to him. He was simply glaring at her with eyes that looked so much like hers.

"Thorin," Gandalf began, clearing his throat. "I should be the one to apologize for this situation. It was I who -"

But Thorin wasn't listening to the wizard. His gaze remained focused on his daughter. "Allie," he said coldly, his voice low. "Do you care to explain to me why you are here while I have made it perfectly clear to you that I wanted you to stay there?"

Allie felt everyone staring at her and it made her slightly uncomfortable. "I-I didn't want to stay behind," she said. "Why should everyone get to come along with you except me?"

"Because you are my daughter," Thorin countered, frowning heavily. "I asked you to rule over the settlement and our people in my absence and you disobey my orders! What does that say about you?"

"That I'm not some puppet that you pull the strings from!" Allie snapped. "I have every right to be here, just like you do. You are not being reasonable by making me stay behind! Dis was kind enough to rule as a regent when I asked her."

"But that's not the same," Thorin pretty much grumbled. "Allie, you didn't listen to me. I asked you to do it. Not my sister."

"Should that matter?" Allie asked. "Dis told me that she didn't understand why you made me stay behind and that she would take over for me because my place was here with you."

Before Thorin could say something Gandalf interfered. At that moment Allie remembered that everyone had been listening to them. She had quite forgotten that they were there. "Listen to me, Thorin," Gandalf began. "When you left Ered Luin, I went to visit Allie and I told her that she had to come. It would be foolish of her to stay behind. Allie is not someone you can lock up to keep her save. She needs this quest just as much as everyone else."

"But she is not your daughter," Thorin said through gritted teeth.

"Gandalf is right," Balin agreed. "There is no problem with Allie being here. I know that you fear that something will happen to her, because it is not known if we will survive this quest. Still Allie can fend for herself and we all know that she is not someone to mess with."

Allie felt some relief as to the fact that she had the support from the others and that she wasn't alone in facing her father's wrath. During her life she had become familiar with her father's temper and she knew how to deal with it. Still this was one of the most upset she had ever seen him.

"Besides you cannot possibly send her back home by herself," Kili reasoned, giving Allie an encouraging smile. "Who knows what she can run into when she's alone?"

Thorin was silent for a moment, pondering his options. He knew well enough that the dwarves were right and that he couldn't send Allie back. If she was here he at least could keep an eye on her and he would know that she was save.

"Fine. We will talk about this later," he said after a while, it almost sounded like a growl. "You can stay for now. That doesn't matter that I'm pleased with you being here, Allie. You should've listened to me."

With that Thorin walked past her into the dining room, followed by the other dwarves. Gandalf sighed beside her before he walked after the others. Allie thought she was alone and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself down, not wanting to let others know how much her father being upset with her was troubling her.

"Are you sure that you are alright, Miss Allie?" a slightly familiar voice asked.

Allie hadn't seen that Bilbo was standing there in front of her, looking at her with concern. She was sure that it was unsettling for him to see Thorin shouting like that, which was the first impression the halfling had of the stubborn dwarf. He hadn't been too kind to Bilbo as well.

She met Bilbo's gaze. "I'm alright. I'm just a bit shaken up. It's not the first time my father has behaved this way towards me," she replied softly. "He's not an easy man to deal with."

Bilbo addressed her a small smile. "I'm sure about that. Still he shouldn't have lashed at you like that, even if you did not listen to him. Everyone else seems pleased to have you here and I'm sure that your father will come around soon."

It surprised Allie that Bilbo was acting like that while he didn't even know. Maybe it was the kindness of hobbits or perhaps Bilbo himself was filled with kindness. Whatever it was, Allie found it very pleasant. She was convinced that if she had more time to get to know this hobbit that they would become close friends.

"You are very kind, Master Baggins," Allie thanked him. "I am sure that you're right. We should join the others to see what they're up to."

Bilbo didn't argue with that, but simply followed Allie into the dining room. Here they found that everyone was once again gathered around the dining table. This time the only one who was eating was Thorin, since he hadn't eaten yet. He was sitting at the edge of the table, being the important dwarf that he was.

The dwarves had already began with discussing some plans and details when they entered. Allie took the empty chair next to Fili and she was glad that she hadn't have to deal with her father right now, for she was not in the mood to be lashed at again.

Allie decided to take no part in the arguments and conversation around her and quietly listened to what was being said by the dwarves. It quickly became obvious to her that Bilbo Baggins had no idea why all these dwarves were here in his house and where this quest of theirs was going. She could tell that by the amazement in his eyes when Thorin unfolded the map of the Lonely Mountain.

Then Smaug the dragon was being mentioned and at that Bilbo's eyes widened. He was someone who had never dared to imagine that a dragon was actually alive in the far corners of this world. He was always thought that they were just fables to entertain small children.

Then they explained Bilbo why they were here and what the dragon Smaug had taken from them. Bilbo listened to the story with great interest. All up until the point where Gandalf told him that he had chosen Bilbo as their burglar.

At that Allie felt like a fool for not realizing that soon. She remembered Gandalf telling her earlier today that he would find this company a burglar who would be a hobbit, yet she hadn't thought for one second that he would choose Bilbo for that. By the looks of him he wasn't exactly excited about the thought of leaving his beloved home behind and she could understand that. His home had everything.

Just like expected Bilbo himself wasn't too fond of the idea and was sputtering in protest when they called him a burglar and claimed that he had never stolen a thing in his life. Allie doubted that and she was sure that when he had stolen something as a prank when he was a child. Everyone did that when they were little.

Allie was lost in her thoughts for a bit, but snapped back to reality when she saw how someone handed Bilbo a contract and the halfling took his time with reading everything that was written down on the parchment.

"Because I wasn't counting on Allie coming along with is I didn't make a contract for her," Balin stated. It was well known how fond dwarves were of their contracts and that they valued it as something important to sign one before you set out on a quest.

"Is it not possible for us to alter the contract of Master Baggins?" Thorin suggested. "That way that if they both sign it that they have to come along together and that what's written down on there is for the both of them?" His answer amazed Allie. She hadn't expected that he would say such a thing at all. Because if she had to sign a contract that meant that she officially would be coming along with them on this quest and that he couldn't possibly sent her back to the Blue Mountains.

"No. No. No," Bilbo protested nervously. "I will not sign this. Miss Allie can have this absurd contract. Like I said before I'm not a burglar." He handed the contract back to Balin. The old dwarf immediately went to pick up a quilt so that he could alter the contact.

Allie didn't know why but it saddened her a little to hear that Bilbo wouldn't be coming along with her. She had become a little curious to see how he would hold out into the wild. "We can promise more treasure," Bofur said with the hobbit to change Bilbo's mind. "Just because you have to sign this together doesn't mean that you shall share the fourteenth part of this treasure."

"I'm not in it for the gold," Allie made clear, crossing her arms.

"And I'm not in it at all," Bilbo added with a frown. She was able to hear him mutter, "Silly dwarves and their stupid gold."

"I don't think that I was making myself clear," Thorin began. "Both of you have to sign this contract or the other won't come along. You're in this together."

At that Allie stiffened. Was he tying her to the burglar? "That sounds unfair," she disagreed. "Bilbo said repeatedly that he doesn't want to come with us and I can't blame him for saying so."

"She's right, uncle," Fili said. "It's not right to do this Allie. She really wants to come with us."

"And she disobeyed my orders for that," Thorin reminded them. "I can't have her disobeying me again when we're out there in the wild. That could end into a grave mistake."

"I'm not a fool," Allie sneered back. "I know when to listen to you. And when are you going to realize that everyone else does want me to be here? Its only you and your bitter attitude that wants me gone!"

At that there fell a silence in the room and everyone was awaiting Thorin's responds to this.

"Allie, not now. Both you and the burglar will have to sign the contract if you want to come with us. It's that simple," Thorin clarified and Allie could only growl at her father's stupidity. She couldn't believe that he was doing this to her.

Balin handed the contract back to a startled Bilbo who began to read it again and named the changes that had been made out loud. "Both Allie and burglar will share the fourteenth and fifteenth part of the treasure, should there be any. They both need to go on this adventure together as they are contractually bound together in this as they will face the dragon together."

"Face the dragon together?" Allie repeated, puzzled. "You want to me to go down to torment Smaug?"

"Yes, Allie," Thorin muttered. "Just like Gandalf said earlier the scent of hobbit is unknown to Smaug so I doubt he will know what you will smell like as well. We need to use that to our advantage."

Allie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "At first you don't want me to come? Now you're sending me towards a dragon. In case you've forgotten but going near Smaug is the far opposite from being save."

"I'm well aware, Allie," Thorin said as if he was growing tired of this argument. "I will say no more of it. I need both of your signatures on it."

At that Allie felt how Kili placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Clearly everyone else in the room seemed to disagree with Thorin. It was Gandalf who gave her a look as if promised her that entire ordeal would be solved in her advantage and she could only hope that was the truth.

Bilbo had finished reading the contract now and was asking some questions about incineration which Bofur gladly answered for him, describing it in a rather gruesome way. That resulted in the color fading from Bilbo's cheeks and before everyone knew it the halfling had passed out on the floor.

Allie got onto her feet, needing to get a little breather. She was the first at Bilbo's side and together with Nori and Bofur she carried the unconscious Bilbo towards the nearby drawing room. They sat him in an armchair, making him comfortable. While the others stayed with him Allie went to the kitchen where she made some tea.

She returned a couple of minutes later and found that Bilbo had regained consciousness and was sitting upright by himself in his chair. At the sight of Allie he flashed a small smile. She handed him the damping mug.

"Thank you. I'm sorry," Bilbo then said, sounding sincere.

"Sorry for what?" Allie questioned, sitting down opposite from him.

"Because I'm not signing the contract," he made clear. "That means that you cannot go with the others and for that I am sorry."

Allie sighed. "Master Baggins, that is not your fault. It is my father who should be blamed for that, not you. He made this silly demand. Still I'm sure it will be fine. Gandalf promised me before I came here that he would help me change my father's mind," she said. "I'm a bit curious. Are you really sure that it's your best choice to stay here? Do you not want to see the world?"

Bilbo bit his lip. "It's some relief that you'll go with the others. I have to admit that when I was younger I've often wondered what was out there, but I've grown up. I'm just a simple hobbit. I have no part there."

"You won't know that unless you try," Allie replied. "It is your choice to make and yours only. If I had a house like this I would stay behind as well."

At that he smiled weakly. "I have a question for you," he began and Allie gazed up at him with those icy blue eyes. "What did Thorin mean when he didn't know Smaug would react to your scent? Aren't you a dwarf?"

"That is a good question," Allie said, licking her lips. "I am a dwarf, you've seen who my father is. Only my mother wasn't. She was a hobbit."

Bilbo's jaw felt slightly agape. "A hobbit?" she repeated. "You're part halfling?"

"Yes, you could say that. Still I guess I don't exactly look like both races," Allie responded. "I don't have the hairy feet, nor do I have facial hair like the dwarves do. I'm just Allie Fairchild."

"No, it explains some things," Bilbo said with a chuckle. "It clarifies why you don't look so much like the other dwarves. I just hadn't thought that meant that you have mixed blood. Not that there is anything wrong with is. I just thought such a thing wasn't possible."

"I think that I'm the only one. I've never came across someone who is a mix of two races before," Allie said honestly. "But I have to say that over the years I've gotten quite used to what I am and I'm taking the positive sides of both races as my strength."

"Well, that make you someone special, Miss Allie," Bilbo responded.

"Is there no Mrs. Baggins?" Allie almost blurted out. She had been wanting to ask this ever since she stepped inside this hobbit-hole.

Clearly Bilbo hadn't seen that question coming, but he was being a true gentleman about it. "No, there is no woman in my life, Miss Fairchild. I haven't been fortunate enough to find the right one. I'm quite content being a bachelor. How about you then?"

Allie bit her lip. "Same here." She decided not to indulge any further about as to why she wasn't seeing someone. That wasn't information she felt like sharing with someone she hardly knew. "Sorry by the way about the dwarves plundering everything from your pantry."

At that Bilbo smiled. "That's not your fault. I guess I just have to go to the market tomorrow to restock everything," he said. With that Allie knew that Bilbo really had no intention to leave his house. He was content with what he what here. Still Allie was convinced that there was a part in Bilbo that wanted to come with them, but he was simply too scared to do it.

Their conversation was interrupted when Gandalf entered the sitting room. Allie saw as her sign to leave and got up. "If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know, Master Baggins," she said.

"It's Bilbo," the halfling corrected her. Allie frowned slightly. "Just call me Bilbo."

Allie couldn't help but smile at that. "Very well, Bilbo," she said. "Only if you call me Allie." With that she turned around and walked out of the sitting room so that Gandalf could talk with Bilbo in private. She hoped that the wizard had some luck with trying to change Bilbo's mind, but she doubted it.

As Allie walked down the tunnels she saw that most of the dwarves were scattered all throughout Bag End. Some of them sat in the hallway, others in the dining room and a few were still looking for more food in the pantry. She found Thorin in deep conversation with Dwalin. Allie took a deep breath as she took a step towards them.

"We need to talk," she said, her voice cold. Her eyes met those of Thorin. "Now."

She didn't wait for him to respond and already made her way out of the hobbit-hole so that they could have a heart to heart without being interrupted by anyone. Allie just wanted to resolve everything that was going on between them.

As she stepped outside she was greeted by the cold night air. She took her place at the wooden bench in the front of the garden and looked at Hobbiton that lay stretched out in front of them and which was illuminated by the bright moonlight.

It didn't took long before Thorin took his place next to Allie. A silence fell between as they both tried to figure out what they could best say to each other.

"Why did you come here, Allie?" Thorin asked once more.

She gazed up at him. "I already told you. I wanted to come along. You never asked me about what I wanted. You straight-away presumed that I would be fine with staying behind, well I can tell you I'm not. I want to be here."

"But you have no idea what's out there and -"

"Don't I?" Allie cut him off, becoming bitter. "I know well enough what's out there. I've seen it with my own eyes and I know that it's not all pleasant. Still that doesn't scare me. I want to accompany you on this quest more than anything. I want to see Erebor with my own eyes. I want to see where you grew up."

Thorin surprised her by grabbing her hands and held them. "Allie, dear," he began. "The main reason why I am so cross at you for disobeying my orders is because if you would've stayed behind I would've known that you were save and I wouldn't have to worry about you. You know how important you are to me."

"I know that," Allie muttered.

"Ekespu menu men o targu men," Thorin said with his deep voice.

At the sound of her father speaking to her in Khuzdul Allie couldn't help but smile, especially when he gave her a compliment.

"Allie, what I meant to say is that ever since I lost your mother I became over protective over you. I may not always treat you as kindly as you deserve, but you are everything to me. And the thought of you getting hurt drives me insane. That's why I asked you to stay behind so you would be save."

"You are important to me too, Khagam," Allie replied gratefully. "I didn't come here to upset you, but simply because I don't like to be left behind. I can fight and I know I can contribute to this quest."

"I would never doubt what you're capable of," Thorin said. "I was there that day you first wielded a sword and I've seen you spend countless of hours in the arena training. You've grown incredibly skilled since."

"Then why did you say that if Bilbo doesn't sign the contract that I won't be coming along with you?" Allie questioned. "You know that Bilbo doesn't want to leave his house and why should he? He doesn't have to fight for us. He owes us nothing."

Thorin paused, exhaling. "I may have handled that situation a bit wrong. I just was so caught of guard by you being here and all that I wanted was for you to go back to the Blue Mountains and be save because there may be casualties on this quest."

"If that may be the case I want to spend the rest of my remaining days at your side," Allie clarified, her voice firm. "That's where I belong, at your side. I don't want to be anywhere else."

"You are a fierce woman, Gemez," Thorin said with a smile. Ever since Allie had been little that was something he used to call her and it meant moonlight in the dwarven tongue. Allie liked it whenever he called her that and brought back some good memories. "Alright, I'll tell you what I've decided. I may not like it that you are here but you've got my blessings to come along with us whether our burglar signs the contract or not. You just sign it instead then."

Allie was completely amazed by what he said. She surprised both of them by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling her father close to her. "Thank you," she repeated a couple of times. "You have no idea what it means to me."

"I think I have an idea," Thorin said. "Just promise me that you won't disobey me again."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Allie said with a chuckle. "Did you mean it that you would sent me into Erebor to face Smaug?"

"That is not my decision to make. We have a long way to go before we reach Erebor so it's best to not talk about that now," Thorin said, changing the subject to something else. "I've missed you."

Allie smiled with content at his sweet words. "You were only gone for a few weeks."

"I'm well aware of that, Allie. Still before that we were hardly a day apart ever since you were born and it felt wrong to not have you near me," Thorin admitted. "There is nothing wrong with a father who missed his daughter."

"I missed you too," Allie comforted him. "You won't have to miss me again. I'm glad we solved things between us."

"Me too," Thorin responded.

After their tender moment they went back inside.

* * *

There were some things that were said in Khuzdul:

Ekespu menu men o targu me = you mean more to me than my beard

 _Khagam = Father_

 _Gemez = Moonshine_

 _The last two are some names that will come back in the last of the story!_


	3. Adventure awaits

**Sorry for the long delay, but here is a short chapter to make up for it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Adventure awaits**

That night Allie barely slept. She had ended up falling asleep in an armchair in the drawing room, which wasn't exactly a very comfortable position and her lower back pain was the result of that. She knew that it would fade soon.

She was woken by the loud sound of something crashing in the kitchen. Allie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got out of the chair. As she walked through the tunnels of Bag End she stretched her back a little. She entered the dining room and saw that everyone was already there, enjoying breakfast. All except Bilbo that was.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Oin greeted her.

"Would you like some pancakes?" Fili asked her.

"Or some bread?" Bombur suggested.

"There's also sausages, lass," Dwalin added.

Allie was perplexed that there was even food left since she had assumed they had eaten everything the previous night. She assumed that it was better not to ask questions about it.

"Some sausages would be nice," Allie replied instead, taking a seat next to Bifur and Ori. Normally Allie would've made her own breakfast but she knew that the dwarves didn't mind doing it for her this once so she let them. Her gaze fell on the little sketchbook that Ori was scrawling in. "What are you drawing?"

Ori looked up from his sketchbook, flashing her a shy smile. "I was trying to draw everyone here sitting around the table," the young dwarf said. "I plan to make more drawings of all the places that we will go to."

For as long as Allie knew Ori, he had spent most of his time away in the shadows drawing everything that he saw. He was incredibly talented with his pencil and she had seen him making lots of detailed portraits of people she knew.

"May I see them some day?" Allie asked with interest.

Ori chuckled. "Of course. I will come to you when I've drawn some new ones."

Bofur then came and gave Allie her breakfast. "I also got you some tea, lass," he said with a smile, being his cheerful self.

"Thank you, Bofur," Allie replied thankfully. She had gotten quite hungry and the scent of baked sausages, eggs and bread around her. As she sat there she wondered when the next time would be that she would have a breakfast like this. It was a long and dangerous road to Erebor, and comfort and luxury wasn't something that she should expect. That's why Allie decided to fill her stomach in the best way that she could.

"Allie," Balin called out to her, making her look up. "Your father told us that the two of you talked last night and came to an arrangement. You are to be joining us?"

Allie quickly exchanged a look with Thorin who sat beside Balin and Gandalf. "Yes, we did come to an agreement. You won't be getting rid of me that easily," she said, smiling.

"It's a relief to hear that Thorin changed his mind," Gandalf chuckled. "You made the right choice, Thorin. You are going to need Allie along the way, more than you realize. We all will. Of that I am certain." Allie wasn't so sure if Gandalf knew more than she did, but she stayed quiet on the matter. She was just grateful that she was allowed to come along for real this time.

"Will Master Baggins be joining us?" Allie asked instead, taking a bite from her sausages.

"I tried to talk with him last night but he was sure that we got the wrong hobbit for the job," Gandalf answered. "Still, I think that he will come around. Allie will you be kind enough to wait here until Bilbo wakes up to see what his decision is? Perhaps you talking to him will change his mind."

At that Thorin frowned. "Why would Allie talking to him help?"

"Because from all the people he got to meet in the last day Allie has been the one who spoke to him the most and he listened to her," Gandalf responded. "It is possible that he will do so again."

"I doubt it," Dori huffed in return.

At that more dwarves started to disagree. Most of them couldn't believe that Bilbo would change his mind and would join the company. It didn't took long before they started to place bets on it and Allie watched that with mixed feelings. She wanted Bilbo to join them on this quest, but she knew that is was his own choice to make.

Once breakfast was inside their bellies the dwarves began to prepare themselves to leave and it amazed Allie how quickly they had managed to clean all the dishes as if they hadn't been here at all. Since all the dwarves had already packed their things they had come here they didn't need to pack a lot of things and they swiftly set out after that.

By parting Thorin didn't hesitate to give his daughter a kiss on her temple. "I will see you soon then. We are waiting for you at the Green Dragon and we will leave at eleven," he reassured her. "Be there on time." With that he followed the other dwarves and the front door went close. That left Allie all alone with a still sleeping Master Baggins.

Allie went into an empty room where she opened her bag on the table and rummaged through it. For weeks now she had been wearing the same outfit and she brought a spare one with her. She changed out of these and put on a creme colored shirt with long sleeves. Over that she placed a brown bodice, which was made of thick leather. On it were golden stitches and clasps. It was one of her favorites to wear. She mixed it with dark grey breeches and brown leather boots. Wearing all this really put her in the mood to leave towards Erebor. To make it easier she weaved some strands of her red hair behind her head into separate layers.

She picked up her bag and went back to the kitchen and the pantry where she looked for more food that she could take with her, which she was definitely going to need on the first days on their travel. Allie knew that there wouldn't be a chance for them to gather more provisions soon.

As she put some apples into her bag she saw Bilbo walking down the tunnels. He was still wearing the same clothes as the previous night. He was taking his time to make sure that all the dwarves had truly gone and when his eyes met that of Allie he paused. His gaze lingered down her body, noticing her change of outfit.

"I thought everyone was gone," Bilbo then said.

Allie smiled. "Good morning to you too, Bilbo. The others indeed left only twenty minutes ago."

"And you are still here," Bilbo figured. "Did they leave you behind?"

"No, they didn't. I was asked by Gandalf to stay here behind until you've awoken."

Bilbo had walked past Allie and was now searching through his pantry for something he could use to make breakfast with. It was already late in the morning and Allie figured that for a hobbit he must be famished.

"Why did he possibly ask you that?" Bilbo wondered, making some sound as he dropped a pot on the floor.

"Because the wizard had hopes that if I talked to you that you might change your mind about this whole quest," Allie clarified as she observed Bilbo's movements around the kitchen. For a hungry hobbit he sure was skilled in that way.

Bilbo laughed sarcastically. "I already told Gandalf that I will play no part in this. I'm a hobbit from the Shire, and nothing more," he reasoned with her.

"I wouldn't say that. I think there is more to you than you know," Allie replied. "There is still a part of you that wants to see the mountains, and what's beyond the borders of the Shire. You're only just too scared to take the step, fearing that the other hobbits will stop calling you respectable if you do so."

The scent of freshly made breakfast filled the kitchen. "And you seem to forget that they want me to face a dragon. A very large and dangerous dragon."

"I am well aware of that. I do not know what we will face once we go through this door because it's a very long and dangerous road to Erebor and evil doesn't sleep there. It is very much possible that we may never return," Allie answered, chewing on her cheek. "But everything that you will experience on that road is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. I can assure you that you will never forgive yourself if you decide to stay here."

Bilbo gave her a thoughtful look. "You've never been on a quest before as well."

"No, I haven't. There was never the need for it. I have been on some patrols in my life, but that was all still in Ered Luin. Being in the Shire is the farthest I've ever been from my house," Allie responded truthfully. "Now that I'm given the chance to see the beauty of Middle-Earth with my own eyes I couldn't let that pass."

Allie could hear Bilbo sigh, pondering about what she was saying. "So, what if I do accept this offer. Hobbits do not know how to fight. They have no need for it."

The fact that he was considering this gave Allie some hope. "That is true. It will be very useful in fighting orcs or goblins along the way. Fear not, I won't mind to teach you a thing or two about defending yourself along the way."

"You seriously aren't going to let this go, are you?" Bilbo asked then.

"Bilbo, this is your choice to make. I just have to try whatever I can to make you see the plus side of it all," Allie said. "If you say no I will just walk out of this door and you will never have to see me or the others again. That's up to you and I will accept your decision."

Bilbo dropped his spatula with a clang. "I think you're right, Alie."

"Right about what?" Allie queried, frowning a little.

"About all this. If I say no I would forever wonder about what might have been," the halfling answered. Bilbo took in a deep breath. "Okay. I will do it. I will go with you and the others to Erebor."

Allie was perplexed at his answer and she couldn't help but stare at him in pure amazement with a huge grin on her face. "I can't believe me talking to you actually worked," she muttered.

"Well, you are a very convincing," Bilbo said. He said down at the table to eat his breakfast. "Where are the others and how much time do we have left?"

"They are gathering provisions and are waiting for us at the Green Dragon." Allie glanced at the sunlight shining through the window. "We only have about half an hour left to get there on time." Bilbo immediately wanted to get up but Allie interfered. "No, eat your breakfast first. You're going to need it."

Bilbo wanted to protest but he could tell that arguing with Allie would be a waste of his breath so he took another bite from his breakfast. "I still need to pack all my things. What on earth do I possibly bring with me?"

Allie smiled at that. "I will help you with that. Warms clothes is a good start."

The halfling managed to eat his breakfast in a record speed that concerned Allie. She hoped that he wouldn't choke himself to death even before his adventure had started. As Bilbo got up and hurried to his bedroom Allie went to the kitchen to wash the plates and the mess Bilbo had just made.

When she was done she went to check up on him and saw that he had changed clothes and washed his face. He was now wearing a dark red, velvet coat. Underneath he wore a white shirt with a light green vest. He wore brown breeches with it.

"Does this look good enough?" Bilbo asked hesitantly, not having a single idea about what to do.

"That is fine, Bilbo. Please, calm yourself before you clog an artery," Allie said. "Don't forget to take some spare clothes with you as well. Or even a cloak. It can get cold in the east and we are to expect some rain."

Bilbo took into mind what she told him and went to get an extra coat and a shirt and put those into his bag. The bag he had chosen for this was big enough for the clothes he was taking with him. He added a few extra items into his bag as well.

"How about food?" Bilbo asked then.

"No, need. The others are taking care of that," Allie answered.

She saw how Bilbo took hold of a walking-stick and she assumed that he had used this stick on several long walking trips throughout the Shire. It wasn't a bad idea of him to take that with him, since they had no idea how much walking they had to do. A walking-stick could be very useful.

"Do I still need to sign that contract?" Bilbo questioned, walking past Allie out of his bedroom. She strolled after him.

"We both have to. I was waiting until you had made up your mind," Allie responded. Balin had left the contract on the mantelpiece and she took it, before handing it to Bilbo. "Here."

Bilbo hesitated for a moment as he read some small parts of the contract again, but scribbled his name onto the line in the right corner. He gave it back to Allie who followed his example.

"Well, that's that then. We're really going now," Allie said as she realized that.

Allie went to grab her things which already had been ready, like her bag, sword and her bow and quiver. Bilbo meanwhile went to make sure he had everything. Allie then stepped outside Bag End and Bilbo was next to her within a minute. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He placed the key in a nearby flower pot.

"Which way is the Green Dragon?" Allie asked. "It saves us time if you can lead us to it. That way I don't have to ask other hobbits." As she said that she remembered that Gandalf had instructed her where it was last day, but she couldn't remember correctly.

"It's all the way down the hill," Bilbo said.

Allie huffed. "We won't make that in ten minutes and -"

"Then we have to run," Bilbo interrupted. "You best follow me then. I know the quickest way to get there."

There was no time for Allie to respond because Bilbo was already running out of his garden and before she knew it she was running after him as fast as she could, not wanting to stay behind here.

He led her over a road and over a wooden fence, over which they easily jumped. They then had to go through large meadows where several cows, sheep and pigs were grazing on the grass. Some of these animals scattered when these two hobbits ran past them, nearly knocking them aside.

One thing was for sure, Bilbo wasn't lying about his short cut.

They had to go through a couple of gardens where several hobbits were working and those didn't look too pleased with them. Despite her shortness of breath at the moment, Allie let out a laugh at that.

While they ran Bilbo got called at by some hobbits that they passed, who wondered why he was in such a hurry. The only thing that Bilbo yelled back at them was, "I'm going on an adventure!" And he really was. Even if the hobbits wouldn't understand that.

They had reached the bottom of the hill and ran further down the road which leaded them across a short bridge. From here Allie recognized where she had been the other day. When the Green Dragon came into view around the corner the two of them came to a halt, trying to regain their breaths.

Allie saw that the others were still waiting there for them. They had gotten enough ponies for everyone from a local farmer. Most of the dwarves were already seated in the saddle.

"Bless my beard!" Oin cried out. "She brought the halfling with her."

"This is going to cost you," Nori snickered.

Gandalf was smiling brightly at the sight of Allie with her red face. "I told you that you had the best chance to change Bilbo's mind. He listened to you," the wizard said, giving her a wink.

Allie chuckled. "He really did."

As she turned her head she saw that Bilbo had given the contract to Balin and that the old dwarf was trying to examine their signatures. After a few second was done. "Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield," he called out.

Bifur then gestured Allie towards one of the ponies. As she was petting the mare's neck she heard Bilbo crying out behind her. "I forgot my handkerchief."

Allie tilted her head and put her hand into the pocket of her breeches, picking out a blue handkerchief which was made with very soft material. "Here. You can have mine. I've got a spare in my bag," she offered.

Bilbo gave her a doubtful look, but then took the handkerchief from her. "Thank you, Allie." He mustered a sincere smile.

At that Allie mounted her pony and looked around her, seeing that everyone was ready. Her eyes met that of her father again who gave her a simple nod. "We move out!" he called louder, notifying everyone.

Their adventure was beginning.

* * *

 **Seems like Allie is already having some influence on our burglar ;)**


	4. Home is behind you The world is ahead

**suffocater: Awh was it a good kind of jump? :P**

 **Silversun XD: Glad you're liking it!**

 **BlueGreen216: Hope you'll like how the story will progress even further :")**

 **Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing on this story! :")**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Home is behind you. The world is ahead**

After a few hours in the saddle Bilbo already grew restless. No matter how much he moved around in his saddle he wasn't feeling comfortable. This was the first time he had ever sat on a pony, let alone had ridden one himself. The only lucky thing about this situation was that Dori had handed him a rather easy pony named Myrtle, suitable for beginners. It didn't protest to him at al.

By now they had left Hobbiton far behind them, and his home. With every step they took further away from it Bilbo wondered if he had made the right choice by coming along. Perhaps the Tookish side in him had been strong this morning when Allie spoke to him about the positive sides of adventure.

His eyes found Allie who was riding one a chestnut pony alongside Dwalin and she was talking animatedly about something with a huge grin plastered on her face, she was enjoying herself. The outfit that she was wearing today really was made for the elements they would face during their travels.

"Why are you staring at our cousin like that?" Kili chirped.

Bilbo's face turned tomato red, realizing that he had been caught and looked at the young dwarves who had no nudged their ponies along either side of him.

"You seem to have to have taken an interest in our Allie," Fili noted with mirth in his eyes.

"N-no. No, that's not it," Bilbo spluttered in return. "You've gotten that wrong."

Kili grinned sheepishly. "Oh, it's understandable, Master Baggins. She is a very special woman. It's impossible not to see that."

"Let me tell you that ever since Kili and I were wee dwarflings, Allie was there to look after us," Fili said. "Together with our mother and uncle of course. Still it was she who babysat on us countless of times. And when we were old enough to pick a weapon she taught us how to use it. She was in fact in charge of training us so know that Allie is the sweetest person you will ever meet, but if you hurt her you're in big trouble. She'll handle you yourself."

Bilbo wasn't sure whether Fili's words were actual warnings to him about Allie. "Did someone ever hurt her? Allie I mean."

Fili paused. "It happened once, but it's best that Allie tells you that herself if she wants to share that with you. Just because she's of mixed race doesn't mean that she's week or fragile. She is the daughter of an important dwarf. Our mother always called Allie a very tough cookie, ever since she was little."

"You will see that with your own eyes during this journey," Kili said, smirking. "Still I think that we should tell you some stories about life in the Blue Mountains so that you have an idea what it's like."

At that Kili started to tell a story which he had probably told countless of times throughout his life because he knew it by heart. It did involve Fili and Kili when they had been troublemaking youngsters, but there was also mention of Allie. As Bilbo listened to their story he noticed that they couldn't say one bad word about Allie and spoke about their cousin with lots of admiration.

Their story turned into Allie coming to their aid when they had caused some damage with their pranking's and went to cover for them, which had resulted in Allie getting punished for something she hadn't done. From the short time Bilbo knew Allie he figured that did sound like something she would do.

When Fili and Kili were telling more stories a few of the dwarves started to toss some coin purses to each other. "Pay up, Dori!" Oin chuckled.

It quickly dawned on Bilbo that they had made wagers on whether or not he would show up. Most of them had indeed thought that he wouldn't, which made him huff. Gandalf was in fact the one who bet that Bilbo would show up. The only one who hadn't participated had been Allie it seemed.

Bilbo then continued to listen how the dwarves around them merrily laughed, told stories or sang songs he had never heard before while they rode forward all day. The biggest complaint Bilbo had to make about all this was that the company didn't stop enough for meals. He knew that was something he would have to get used to. Besides that adventure wasn't so bad after all.

They rode through hobbit-lands, a far green country where even Bilbo never had been before. The farthest he had ever been was on a walking-trip with his parents to Frogmorten when he had been a tween. This was something entirely different.

Soon the good roads, and the occasional inns and farmers grew scares. They had now crossed the borders of the Shire and had come to lands where the people who lived spoke in tongues Bilbo didn't understand. He really had left his beloved Bag-End behind. If only his mother could see him now. She might've laughed at him.

There was a change in scenery as well. There were no green hills, only dreary hills that grew higher and roads here got worse as they went on. The trees here had no leaves and were dark. Occasionally Bilbo spotted an abandoned ruin or dark castle on top of those hills. Whoever had lived there surely hadn't gotten any good intentions.

Around nightfall they set up camp and Bilbo was relieved that he could get out of the saddle and get something to eat, for he had missed several meals throughout this day. His stomach wasn't used to the lack of food. He watched how the dwarves set up camp without much effort.

The dinner that had been made was a simple stew, made with some conies and a few herbs. As Bilbo tasted it he knew it wasn't the best stew he had ever tasted, but it was the best they could do underneath these circumstances. That didn't mean that he did not long for one of his self-made cakes.

When everyone had eaten they placed their sleeping-rolls on the ground. Bilbo had a spot next to Bifur and Gloin. As soon as he closed his eyes he noticed how uncomfortable he was. The sleeping-roll he was lying on was thin and he was able to feel every rock and branch underneath it sticking into his back. He couldn't understand that this didn't bothered the rest of them. Maybe they had thicker skin. Bilbo didn't know.

For a while Bilbo lay awake, not able to drift asleep. The loud snoring of Bombur nearby him wasn't helping in the slightest. He got onto this feet, hoping that would tire him. It was there that Balin began to tell him the story of the dwarves during the Battle of Azanulbizar at Moria and how since then Thorin had been a ruler to his people because his grandfather had been decapitated and his father had gone missing. It was also the first time Bilbo heard the mention of Azog the Defiler. Hearing about the pale orc made the hairs on the back of his neck stand out.

Having heard this tale gave Bilbo an idea as to how the rest of the dwarves looked up at Thorin and what the dwarf had done for his people. It showed him that there was more to this dwarf than his grim moods and dark eyebrows.

Somehow Bilbo managed to fall asleep after that. Having to travel all day clearly had exhausted him more than he thought it would. By the time he woke again the dwarves were already up and about making breakfast.

"So, how did your first day on the road go?" Allie asked him then.

Bilbo eyed her and saw that she wore the same clothes. This time her hair was weaved into one big braid, keeping it out of her face with all this wind here. She had a small smile playing on her lips as she waited for his answer.

"It's not as bad once you get used to everything," Bilbo said.

His answer increased Allie's smile. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Give it a couple more days until you've gotten used to sleeping on the hard ground and the food," she reassured him. "I can tell that's bugging you so far."

"Is it that easy to tell?" Bilbo asked with a smile.

"Quite, but no worry. It will get better," Allie promised him. With that she turned to talk with Balin.

Breakfast was quick because Thorin didn't want to linger too long here and they set out again. Bilbo found himself in the saddle once more, holding Myrtle's reigns.

Everything had grown more gloomy from now on, especially the weather. There were dark clouds as far as Bilbo could see. As soon as the first drops fell from the sky the halfling knew this was going to be a dreadful day. Normally the weather in May was nice and warm but right now it was just a cold and wet.

The grim weather sure had dampened everyone's mood and Bilbo couldn't blame them for it. The dwarves were quiet and no cheerful song was sang.

"What I wouldn't do for second breakfast right now," Bilbo grumbled. His pony was splashing along behind the other ponies in a muddy track.

"Second breakfast?" he heard Kili repeat from nearby.

"Is there such a thing?" Bofur wondered.

Bilbo felt foolish for not realizing that dwarves weren't accustomed to such a thing. "Yes, we hobbits eat two breakfast a day," he answered, his voice shivering slightly due to the cold.

"How many meals a day do you eat?" Ori asked.

At that Bilbo started to tell them more about the costumes of hobbits and their fondness for food and they all listened with great interest, despite the heavy rain. During this his eyes lingered to Allie who was riding alongside Gandalf and Thorin. She was wearing a cloak and she had put on the hood to shield her face from the rain.

As the day dreaded on that way more rain poured from the grey sky. Halfway across the afternoon Bilbo was now riding behind Gandalf. His pony was tired and his own cloak had gotten full with water. The others around him were too grumpy to talk again, looking forward to getting some rest.

Eight days had gone by and now they had left the Lone-Lands behind them and from here the scene slightly changed again. There were more trees which were filled with green leaves. It was a more pleasant look compared to the bleak look from the Lone-Lands. Nori said to Bilbo that they were now riding in the Trollshaws. Bilbo wasn't so sure anymore.

~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~0~~

Allie had no idea how much time she had spent in the saddle that day, but when Thorin announced their campsite for the night it came as a relief to everyone. The location that her father had chosen was rather grim looking with the constructions of an abandoned farmhouse still standing there amongst the rocks. Just looking at that gave Allie an uneasy feeling as if something had happened here.

While the dwarves had begun to set up camp for the night Allie took off her soaked cloak. All she could hope was that this would be able to dry during the night else she wouldn't be able to use it tomorrow. Having a damp cloak wasn't useful and it wouldn't keep her warm the next day.

Allie then went to Dwalin to help him with bringing in their supplies. As she was busy she saw that Bofur was in charge over dinner this time, while Bilbo aided him. She tilted her head when she saw Gandalf storming of after an encounter with her father.

"Gandalf?" Bilbo asked quietly. "Where are you of to?"

"I'm going to seek the company of the only one around here who makes some sense," the wizard sneered back. "Myself!"

Allie knew well enough that Thorin had said something to offend Gandalf and she wondered what it was because the wizard was a very patient man. He wouldn't lose his temper that easily. As she saw him riding away she felt a pit of anxiety inside her stomach, hoping that he would return soon.

Thorin didn't seem to be bothered by the whole ordeal much and was already barking more orders to other company members who had nothing to do. Night fell shortly after that and Bofur was making sure that everyone got some freshly made soup. As Allie sat down between the dwarves, who were gathered around the fire, she saw Bilbo disappearing between the trees with two bowls of soup, bringing those to Fili and Kili.

"Gloin?" Allie called. "I forgot to ask you this before, but didn't Gimli want to come with you as well?"

That made the red-haired dwarf smirk. "Oh, I can assure you that he hadn't stop bugging me about it for months, telling me how badly he wanted to come with us. I told him that he's too young. He only just turned sixty-two after all."

Of course for dwarven-standards that counted as being young and poor Gimli got denied for coming along. "I'm sure he was upset about that," Allie figured.

"He was in fact. He refused to speak to me for days," Gloin clarified. "He's a troublesome lad. But I told him that one day he will go on a quest of his own. That seemed to reassure him a little."

"Hearing you speak like that makes me glad I don't have children of my own," Bofur muttered beside her.

"Well, you have Bombur and Bifur to look after," Allie said with a wink. Bofur laughed at that. "That has to count for something."

"From all of us here only Gloin and Thorin have a child," Dori pointed out. "We've already heard from Gloin earlier, so Thorin what's that like?"

Everyone now looked at the leader of the company, awaiting his answer. Thorin put down his bowl. "All of you know my Allie well. She is a real firecracker and can be a total pain in the butt at times, especially when she doesn't listen to what I'm saying. I guess she inherited that from me. All the other wonderful things she got from her mother, that's for sure. And having a daughter who is so compassionate and who makes me want to better myself so that she'll be proud of me, is a wonderful thing. I wouldn't want to go without it. Allie is the happiness in my life. All that keeps me sane."

Allie hadn't noticed that her father's honest words had brought the tears in her eyes. She was giving Thorin the biggest smile that she could muster for saying that and letting everyone know how important she was to him.

"You are indeed very fortunate with a daughter like Allie. She is a blessing," Bofur agreed. At that he sort of patted Allie's head, which made her chuckle. "Now if I had a child as Gimli I would be complaining."

"Now, hold up a minute!" Gloin protested, but his complaint faded between the dwarves laughter.

The dwarves then began to talk over more cheerful matters. Some even brought out some instruments to play songs over the things they had seen in Middle-Earth. This gave Allie the perfect opportunity to find her father. They were standing a bit away from the others so they could talk without being disturbed.

"What did you say to Gandalf to anger him like that?" Allie questioned, fidgeting with her fingers. "He's not someone who would get upset like that without a reason."

Thorin let out a breath. "We had a small argument," he said, his voice grim. "There were a few things he was saying that I didn't agree with. He told me that this wasn't a right place to spend the night and that we should head for the Hidden Valley. You know how I feel about that place so I told him no. At that he got angry and left." He spoke about it as if it had nothing to do with him.

"You are indeed a very stubborn dwarf, Khagam," Allie muttered tiresome. "As soon as someone mentions elves you lose your temper."

Thorin frowned, pressing his lips into a line. "I've told you countless of times what they did to us, Allie. They deserve it."

Allie knew it would be a waste of breath to argue further on this matter. When Gandalf would return she hoped this matter would be solved between the two men. If that wouldn't happen the rest of the journey was going to be incredibly tedious.

"I wanted to say thank you," Allie said instead.

At that Thorin's face warmed up. "For what exactly?"

"For what you said about me back there. It means a lot to hear you speak like that in front of the others. It was incredibly sweet."

"Mahal Allie," Thorin responded with a huff. "I've already told you countless of times how important you are to me. Why shouldn't I let others know about that?" He then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. "I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, but I'm sorry about how I treated you when I found you at Bag End. I still want nothing more than to have you save, but I like having you around."

Allie couldn't help but grin at what he was saying. "I accept your apology and I will prove to you that I deserve to be here," she promised, returning the warm embrace. Ever since she was little she had always loved the feelings of her father's strong arms around her, comforting her. He had done that countless of times and the smell of pinewood and sweat meant home to her. She was always there with a hug as well whenever she saw that her father had a foul mood and these moments were the ones that Allie loved, because it went better from there.

"Trolls!" Kili's voice rang out. It startled Allie who jumped apart from her father and spun around to see her two cousins trotting towards the encampment.

"Trolls have been stealing our ponies," Fili answered. He was slightly out of breath from having to run all the way back.

Trolls. Only the mention of those foul creatures sent chills through Allie's skin.

"Are they nearby?" Dwalin asked, he already had his axe in his hands.

Kili nodded. "Only about five minutes running down that way."

Alie bit her lip when she noticed someone was missing. "Where is Bilbo? I saw him bringing you dinner earlier." She didn't want to think of something happening to the halfling.

"We... We may have sent him after the ponies," Fili stammered.

"You did what?" Allie shrieked and it made Thorin jump beside her. "You sent poor defenseless Bilbo into the mercy of some trolls? He could be killed!" She turned to grab her bow and quiver which lay nearby. "I'm going after him."

"Allie, wait!" Thorin called after her. "If there are trolls out there then we will face them together. We shall show them that no one steals from Thorin Oakenshield and his company!"

Allie was amazed by how fast the dwarves were with getting their weapons. Within seconds they followed Thorin, Fili and Kili to where Bilbo had followed the ponies.

They went further between the trees and there wasn't a lot of light for them to see, besides the moonlight that shone through the treetops. As they went on Allie was able to see a fire in the distance and she knew that could only be trolls.

As they got closer they found three trolls gathered around a fire on which a cauldron with something was cooking. Allie could see that there was a slight difference between the three trolls, by their clothing. One of them was holding Bilbo by his feet, making him hang upside down.

Allie felt an anger growing inside her and she halted the company behind her by raising her hand. This gave her the perfect opportunity to use her bow. She aimed it at the hand of troll that held Bilbo. At the meantime Kili had barged into the clearing, demanding them to let go off Bilbo.

She released an arrow and it hit the troll who let out a shriek and let Bilbo fall in the process. Allie was grateful that Kili was one step ahead of her and caught Bilbo before he would hit the floor. At that moment the rest of the dwarves ran into the fray.

Everything then happened into a blur. Dwarves around her were fighting alongside Allie, proving themselves. Allie grabbed a small pointy dagger from her boot and used it to slice several cuts on the trolls legs, because that was the furthest she could reach. Her bow and arrows were of little use against such large trolls because they had a very thick leather skin. Only forged weapons managed to cut through it.

"Oh, would ya look at that," the troll named William chuckled. "It's a female."

The troll was towering over her and that blocked her path. As Allie turned her head she saw that the other two trolls had gotten Bilbo again and this time they wouldn't let him go so easily.

"Just lay down yer arms," the troll named Bert demanded. "Ya little arrows don't hurt us."

Allie felt her hope fading. There was no chance that they could get Bilbo back from the trolls without them hurting or killing him and that was not something that they could risk. Allie was almost about to trade herself in the hope that they would free Bilbo instead, but Bofur beside her let her know that wasn't a good idea with a simple look.

She gazed back at Bilbo again who looking so helpless up there. There was simply only one thing that they could do that could perhaps save Bilbo and all the dwarves knew it.

Thorin was the first to dispose his sword on the ground in surrender and the rest quickly followed. If only they could save Bilbo from the trolls.


	5. Time for dawn

**It's a short chapter but I'll try to update the next one a bit sooner because of that.**

 **decadenceofmysoul So glad that you like it :) Thanks for the review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Time for dawn**

Allie didn't fancy the idea of being eaten by trolls tonight. Some of the dwarves were tied on the roasting spit above the fire while the others lay in sacks in the other corner. Since they were all tied there was no possible way that they could escape. Things weren't looking too great for them.

The halfbreed was lying with her back against Fili. The sack that she was tied in was rather tight so she wasn't able to move around and that sure dampened her mood. She watched with a heavy feeling how the trolls started to argue about how they best could eat the dwarves.

At a moment like this Allie wondered where Gandalf had gone to. She was certain that the wizard might've been able to get them out this situation, but since he was nowhere to be see they had to come up with an idea themselves.

"We best get a move one," Bert cried out. "I don't fancy being turned to stone and dawn is just around the corner."

Of course. Allie had heard tales about trolls turning into stone when sunlight touched them. Having to heard this news gave them a small chance of escaping. If only they were able to delay the trolls long enough. Allie gazed at the night sky and by the looks of that dawn was indeed very close.

"We best roast them," Tom suggested. "Dwarves do taste nice when they're crunchy."

"And what about the female?" William asked.

"Perhaps we can cook her as well," Tom said. "She doesn't have a lot of meat on her tho. She's more bones."

No woman liked it when comments were being made on her weight, but right now Allie couldn't be bothered by it. Clearly it fascinated them that there was one female amongst the company.

Allie gasped slightly when Bilbo somehow got onto his feet, still tied in the sack. "You lot are all making a horrible mistake! Have you ever heard of seasoning?"

Bilbo looked at Allie and gave her a small nod, letting her know that he had a plan and she understood him. Clearly they had figured out the same thing about trying to delay the trolls in the best way that she could.

"I would listen to him if I were you!" Allie called out, trying to get onto her feet as well. She took a step away from Tom who stood too close to her for her liking and she was able to smell the rotten scent from his body.

"But what about the seasoning?" William asked suspiciously.

"He is a very fine cook in his spare time," Allie added. "He knows what's doing." She wasn't lying about that in the slightest. From the entire company Bilbo sure was the finest cook and he enjoyed doing it.

Bilbo huffed. "Yes. Well... Have you smelled these dwarves? They don't exactly smell nice. You need something stronger than sage and seasoning if you want to plate this lot up."

All around her Allie heard a collective sigh from all the dwarves, including Thorin who lay nearby. Allie kept her comment to herself because right now she had to stick by Bilbo and get along with this plan of their if they wanted to succeed.

Obviously the trolls were confused by their responses. "How come you know anything about cooking dwarf?" Bert grumbled. "Yer just a burrahobbit. Ya never ate dwarf."

Bilbo eyed Allie, both of them having to think of something good to say now. "The secret," Allie began, but stopped again because she hadn't thought of anything yet. She wasn't that good at thinking under pressure.

"Yes," Bilbo went on. He had taken a step towards her, which was more like a hop. "I suggest that you skin them alive. That's the best way to preserve the flavor."

Skin them. Allie's blue eyes widened at what Bilbo had said. If the trolls actually listened to him that meant that they would actually skin the dwarves. His action had sent the dwarves into a panic, because of the possibility of them getting their skin cut off while still being alive.

"And what about the female dwarf?" William wanted to know, pointing his rather swollen finger towards Allie and almost touched her with it.

"As you said earlier I'm rather bony. Not a lot of meat on me I'd say," Allie replied, which a shy chuckle. It was at that moment that she saw something grey flash through the nearby trees and that let her know that Gandalf was near. Her gaze met Bilbo's again and she muttered the wizards name to him so that he knew what to do.

"Are you just saying that to save yer own skin?" Tom figured, making an angry face towards Allie.

"Well that's a rather rude thing to say," Allie grumbled in return. "You don't hear me making comments about that ugly face of yours." She heard Bilbo quietly snicker behind her.

At that Tom got upset. "Ya what? Ya've got a big mouth."

Allie winked back at the troll which didn't lighten his mood in the slightest.

"This is all a load of rubbish!" Tom then said. "I've eaten plenty with their skins on in my life. Scuff them, I say, boots and all."

At that William stepped towards the dwarves. "E's right! Nothing wrong with eating a bit of raw dwarf now and then! They're nice and crunchy." He then grabbed Bombur, who was still in a sack, and dangled him upside over his mouth to eat him.

"No!" Bilbo immediately cried out. "I would not eat that one! He-he's infected!"

"He's what?" Tom shrieked in return.

Allie looked at Bilbo, wondering what he would say next. "Yes, he's got worms in his - tubes," Bilbo blurted out. William dropped Bombur back on the pile of dwarves in utter disgust. Allie had to a step aside before the dwarf would land on her. "To be honest they all have. They're in-infested with parasites. It's a dreadful business, I really wouldn't consider it."

"Oi! Did he say parasites?" Oin cried out from behind them.

"Curse you!" Kili shrieked in protest. "We don't have parasites!"

Then went on a choir of dwarves who all chimed in about they all didn't have parasites and that Bilbo is a fool for making this up. Allie eyed her father and gave him a small nod. Thorin kicked the dwarves that lay before him, making Kili and Oin stare up at him. Now these two also knew about their plan.

"You've got to see the parasites I've got. They're as big as my arm," Oin then said, sounding rather convincing.

"Mine are much bigger," Kili responded defensively. "I've got huge parasites." The rest of the dwarves then proclaimed how they were all riddled with parasites.

Allie was somewhat relieved that the dwarves were playing along with them. This only increased their chance of succeeding and making this stupid plan work.

"And what would you have us do then?" Tom figured. "Let 'em all go?"

"It's not a bad idea," Allie said with a shrug. "I would consider it."

Tom clearly wasn't buying it and rose out above Allie and Bilbo. "I bloody well know what yer up to. These little ferrets are taking us for fools!"

"It's not nice to call people ferrets just because they're short," Allie commented.

"Fools?" Bert repeated.

At that moment Gandalf appeared on a nearby rock above the clearing. "The dawn will take you all!" The trolls went started to ask questions about whether or not it was possible for them to cook the wizard. Gandalf struck the rock with his staff, splitting it in half and allowing sunlight to pour into the clearing.

When the sunlight touched the trolls' skin, they began turning stone amidst their loud screams and howls of pain. Within seconds, there were three stone statues of trolls standing in the clearing beside them. The dwarves all look on, wondering if this was truly happening.

Then the dwarves cheered for Gandalf because he had succeeded and that they had survived their ordeal with the trolls. Allie could only let out a sigh in relief from all of this and couldn't believe that their plan had worked.

~~0~~0~~

Nearly thirty minutes had gone by before all the dwarves were freed from their sacks. Most of them were complaining about everything they had just gone through, but overall everyone seemed cheerful to not have been eaten alive.

Most of the dwarves now went to speak with Bilbo and Allie, thanking them for what they had done to save them.

"I wanted to say thank you," Allie said when they were alone. The rest of the company was staring at the stone trolls or talking with each other.

Bilbo looked into her eyes, looking flustered. "What did I do to deserve that honour?"

"For doing what you did back there. You acted bravely towards the trolls. If you hadn't done that I'm sure that most of us would've been skinned alive by now."

"But I didn't do it alone," Bilbo pointed out. "You knew the plan and helped me. The trolls surely wouldn't have believed my words if you haven't made it all sound convincing. We both played our parts in it."

Allie couldn't help but smile. "We sure did. I have to say that ever since you've left your home you've adapted well. You're a special hobbit, Master Baggins." Even though she didn't have to call him like that she found it more suited in this moment to do so.

Seeing Bilbo smile like that at her words warmed Allie's heart. In the short period of time that she had gotten to know him she had grown rather fond of him and she didn't want to see him go. He belonged as much to the company as she did.

"And you are too kind, Miss Fairchild," Bilbo replied in a cheerful manner. He was playing along with her. "Also your skills with a bow back there were impressing. I have to give you that."

Allie returned the warm smile. "Years of practice."

"Also I liked how you called one of those trolls ugly," Bilbo went on, telling her everything that he had liked about the situation.

Allie giggled. She couldn't believe that she had giggled because she had never done so before. What in Mahal's name was causing that? "Well, I wasn't lying at all. I was being rather honest I'd say."

"You sure were," the Halfling agreed, joining her laughter.

At that the moment between them grew awkward as neither of them knew what to say next. They looked at each other, nervously shuffling with their feet. Bilbo then gave Allie a final smile before he turned around and headed to Bofur. Allie exhaled, feeling her nerves fading with it. She had no idea what was going on.

She then saw how her father walked towards her, a mild look on his face. "You did a brave thing, Gemez," he said, his voice sounding fond.

Allie met his gaze. "It wasn't just me. It was Bilbo as well."

Slowly, Thorin nodded. Allie could tell that he did not like the mention of Bilbo and it soured his mood a little. "Yes, but I am talking about you right now. What you did saved the lives of us all."

Allie was a bit stunned how he wouldn't acknowledge that Bilbo was involved somehow and that she couldn't have done this by herself, but she stayed quiet. Whatever it was her father sure wasn't fond of the burglar and he wasn't even trying to hide it. Just seeing his dislike made Allie feel bitter because Bilbo sure didn't deserve it.

"I'm just doing what anyone else would do," Allie said instead.

"There's no need to be humble," Thorin responded. "You did good." He briefly placed his hand on her shoulder before he turned around and walked to the rest of his company. It was the second time in short manner of minutes that Allie deeply exhaled.


	6. The pointy end

**Disclaimer** : Allie Fairchild is mine!

I hope you all like this new chapter. Prepare for some Allie and Bilbo and intervening cousins

x Milou Lilly

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The pointy end**

Having been tied in a sack for so long had disorientated Allie immensely. She had been doing some stretching exercises to get that good feeling in her body back, which had earned some weird glances from the rest of the company. Oin had been kind enough to give Allie a draft that would help her with that, and it did. Now an hour later she was able to move around properly again and it came as a relief.

Good little Ori and Bofur had been there to lift her spirits and joke around with her, which she really appreciated. Overall with everyone in this company she had a really good bond and that was one of the best feelings. All the dwarves were just nice and caring once you got to know them.

"Are you doing better again, Miss Allie?" Ori asked her politely.

Allie flashed the younger dwarf a friendly smile. "I do. Thank you for asking, Ori," she replied. "You managed to hit those trolls nicely with your slingshot a few times."

He chucked amusingly. "I was impressed by myself, I have to say."

"As you should be," Allie said. "You did great."

The thirteen dwarves, the Halfling, Gandalf the Grey and herself were now following on foot. Thorin had told them to investigate the nearby cave that the trolls had resided in before they had turned into stone. Allie walking alongside Bofur as they stepped into the cave and were welcomed by the foul scent of decay that hang in there. Allie brought up her hand to cover her nose from it, not wanting to vomit.

As Allie looked around she saw that this place was like a treasure hoard. On the floor lay lots of golden coins that the trolls must've taken from the people that they had eaten. Clearly she wasn't the only one who had noticed it.

"Seems a shame just to leave it lying around," Bofur suggested. "We should do something before anyone else takes it."

"Fine idea, lad," Gloin agreed. "Let's get a shovel." Nori returned swiftly with a shovel and started to dig a big enough hole for the others to put the treasure in, keeping it save from all others that would cross this place.

As Allie turned her head she saw her father holding a beautifully made sword. Despite that it was covered in cobwebs it was clear that it was made of nice steel and it had a wooden hilt which fitted it perfectly. Gandalf also had a long sword in his hands which would be great for him. It was made as beautifully as the one Thorin was holding.

"These are forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age," Gandalf said in awe as he inspected the blade. Realizing that these blades were made by elves Thorin went to put down his blade in disgust. "You couldn't wish for a finer blade."

At that Thorin drew it out of its sheath a few inches as well to have a closer look. "Khazam, this blade is perfect for you," Allie commented as she stood beside him. "You can defeat many foes with a fine sword like this."

"You think so?" Thorin asked skeptically.

"Of course I do," Allie confirmed. "It's better than the sword you have now. You've been having that one for many decades now. It's time for you to use a new one." Thorin only smiled at her.

Allie then turned around and saw that some of the dwarves were nearly finished with closing the hole they had just dug in the ground. It was Dwalin who looked at them in disgust.

"We're making a long term deposit!" Gloin informed him as if it was the most normal thing to do.

Allie patted Dwalin's shoulder. "I'm sure there's already more than enough gold in Erebor," she said. The normally grim looking dwarf chuckled at that.

Thorin called his company to leave this place and the dwarves followed him. As soon as Allie was able to take in a deep breath of fresh air she felt content. She was confused as to why she was able to stay down in that foul place for so long, but at this moment it didn't matter. The clean air was incredibly nice.

As Allie was quietly talking with Ori she saw how Bilbo got handed a sword by Gandalf. The Halfling looked uncomfortable with the short blade in his hands, but he was definitely going to need it along the way. Clearly the wizard agreed with her because he seemed to give Bilbo a motivational speech.

"Something's coming!" Thorin's loud voice boomed out over all of theirs.

Allie grew restless at that news and immediately grabbed hold of her bow, ready to use it whenever necessary. She had her dagger stuck inside her boot again which gave her more confidence.

All the dwarves armed themselves for this unknown danger that approached them with great speed. They had all gathered with their weapons drawn, waiting for what was coming. Even Bilbo had joined them. He was holding his newly received sword in a clumsy way.

Their enemy exposed himself seconds later. It was a strange looking old man that were old rags. He rode a sled that was pulled by large rabbits that came to a halt in the center of the clearing. From where she stood Allie could clearly see the bird poop that had gotten stuck inside the man's messy, tangled hair. Just looking at hair like that brought her some relief that her own hair wasn't as tangled. The brown and dark green clothes the man wore made it look as if he was truly part with this earth. He was no treat to them at all.

"Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf called out with a relieved sigh. Hearing him call the man like that made Allie know that this was the other wizard that Gandalf had talked about some days ago. By the way that Gandalf had described him it had made sense that he was clothed the way he was.

"Gandalf," Radagast responded in confusion. "I was looking for you. I have something I urgently need to discuss with you. If only I could remember what it was." The wizard clearly wasn't in the best state of mind and paid no interest to the rest of the people around him.

He and Gandalf went to continue their conversation a bit away from the rest. That meant that the company had to wait for them to finish before they decided what to do next.

Some of the dwarves sat down on the ground while others were conversing with another. Allie took this opportunity to walk to Bilbo who was lost in his own thoughts and who hadn't noticed that Allie had approached him.

"Bilbo," she said quietly, but the hobbit still jumped slightly.

"Allie," he replied, startled. He took a deep breath. His eyes nervously shifted to hers. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"That's alright. I didn't mean to startle you," Allie responded honestly. "I came to ask you about this sword that Gandalf gave you earlier. Can I see it?"

Bilbo was a bit perplexed. "Y-yes. Sure you can." He handed Allie the sword that Gandalf had given to him.

Allie unsheathed the sword and saw that it was a rather short blade. It would be a dagger for an elf or a human, but it was perfect for the size of a hobbit. For him it would be a good sword. It was forged by the same elves in Gondolin, it had to be. It was just as beautifully made as the other swords Gandalf and Thorin had found and had taken for themselves.

"This is a nice blade," Allie commented impressed. "It will be quite useful with the foes we will encounter on this journey. It's good to kill with."

Bilbo blinked a few times. "I'm sure it is," he said. "Still I wouldn't know how to use it."

Allie smiled at the Halfling. "You do know that you have to hit your opponents with the pointy end?" she teased.

At that Bilbo chuckled. "I'm not a fool, Allie."

"I never said that you were," she replied. "I promised you that I wouldn't mind teaching you how you would be able to fend for yourself. You definitely need it if you intent to stab someone with this."

"Will it be difficult to learn how to use it?" Bilbo wondered.

"It depends. Its different with every person," Allie enlightened. "When I taught my cousins Kili was much swifter with figuring out how to use his swords than Fili was. It's fine. I won't be able to turn you into a warrior I'm afraid. Only to teach you enough to not get injured yourself and to defend yourself in return. Is that good enough for you?"

"No, no. That's fine," Bilbo reassured her. "I'm a hobbit. Not a warrior and I have no intention to use this sword too often if I can help it."

Allie's smile increased. "That only seems fair, Bilbo. We shall begin our lessons soon. It's best that you master the beginnings within the next couple of days because we don't know what we'll face out there."

Bilbo swallowed nervously. "Great."

"There's no need to fear it. I'm sure that you never dared to imagine that you would be holding a sword in your hands when you left your door," Allie replied convincingly. "You've already grown since then and you will do fine."

The Halfling returned the smile. "Thank you, Allie. I'm sure you will be the finest teacher anyone could ever ask for."

It warmed Allie's heart to hear him say that. "I'll ask you about that when we've finished our first lesson," she said, giving him back his blade.

"Oh, I've forgotten but Gandalf told me earlier that because this sword is made by the elves that it will glow blue whenever orcs or goblins are nearby," Bilbo informed her, recalling his memory.

"That will definitely be of good use," Allie responded positively. "I hope that you won't have to use it, but I cannot say such a thing for certain."

"Allie!" Kili called out, stepping beside his cousin and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "There you are. I need your help with something."

"Alright, that's fine. I'm just talking with Bilbo now, but I'll come to you when I'm finished here," Allie said gesturing to the hobbit.

"No, that won't do. It's kind of important and it requires your attention straight away," Kili insisted and with that he started to push the slightly resisting Allie with him and away from Bilbo who could only stare at them in confusion.

Kili had led her away to the other side of the group. He made her stop next to Fili.

"What's is it?" Allie asked them, wondering what it was that she could help him with.

"You and Bilbo seem rather cheerful around each other," Fili pointed out, crossing his arms.

That made Allie frown. "What are you going on about?"

"We are just saying that it seems that our burglar is quite smitten with you, cousin," Kili added.

Allie scoffed. "You two are being ridiculous. Bilbo is a very nice hobbit and I've only just offered to train him and -"

"You're going to teach him how to fight?" Fili queried.

"Yes. Why shouldn't I? He has a sword and it's only fair that he knows how to fend for himself," Allie muttered in return. "Why are you suddenly asking me so many questions about Bilbo?"

"Because we want to know what's going on between the two of you," Kili clarified.

"Nothing! There is nothing going on between us. We're just friends," Allie responded grimly, growing tired of this argument. "Is this why you took me away from him?"

"Yes," Fili confirmed. "We have to know what intentions he has towards you. We've been seen him staring at you a lot. And not to mention how often you two smile when you talk."

"Must I remind you that I've only met Bilbo last week and that you two are exaggerating. I hardly know him and I'm just being kind to him and there is nothing wrong with doing that!" Allie snapped.

"Allie, be reasonable," Kili pleased, sounding hopeless.

"No, I don't want to. I will not say another word about this matter because you two are obviously making this all up. There is nothing going on and I want that you leave this alone and focus on things that matter instead of teasing me or Bilbo about this!" Allie warned them. "I've had enough of this!"

With that Allie stormed away, feeling anger burning inside of her. She made her way to the other side of the group where no one would bother here and where she would be alone for a bit. She sat down on a fallen log and stared out at the scenery in front of her.

She couldn't believe that her cousins were acting like such fools. She had only ever been kind to Bilbo and there was no harm in that. In the short time that she knew Bilbo she only saw him as a friend because that was all that he was and Fili and Kili were just seeing things that weren't there.

Allie was sure that with a matter of days this incident would belong in the past. Fili and Kili had only just done this to tease her and she let it anger her which was a foolish thing. She shouldn't be bothered by it so much.

Allie had no interest in getting romantic feelings for anyone, let alone a Halfling. No, Allie was going to ignore whatever her cousins had said because there was nothing true about it. Bilbo Baggins was just another member of the company just like she was. That was all that could be said about the matter.


	7. Wargs

**Disclaimer:** Allie Fairchild is mine!

Wow it has been ages since I've last uploaded here I do apologise for that but I've picked up writing again. I'm definitely going to try and finish this story. Hope people still read it ;)

Enjoy it anyway!

x Milou Lily

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Wargs**

After the incident with her cousins, Allie had excluded herself from the company for a little while and had just sat there by herself on that fallen long. It had been nice to have some time to think and it had done her some good. She was about to head back to the others when she heard a noise that made the hairs in her neck stand up.

It was a low growling sound and Allie's hand went to her boot where she grabbed her dagger. It was a blur of brown fur that flashed before Allie's eyes, but somehow she had stabbed the warg with her dagger in its abdomen.

The warg didn't seem to be affected by her assault and bared its teeth at her. Allie now had her bow in her hand, and had aimed it. She released an arrow which landed in the warg's shoulder. It let out a loud growl before it came at her and knocked Allie off her feet, and down the slope.

Allie landed on the ground with the warg on top of her. There was no time for the warg to harm her because Dwalin had already killed it with a strong blow with his axe. By now more wargs had enclosed the clearing and came towards them.

"You alright?" Bofur asked, pulling Allie onto her feet.

"Yes, I'm okay for now," Allie responded. She picked her bow again and used it to fire more arrows at the other wargs that came down the slope just like Kili was doing.

Dwalin and Thorin were bravely fighting the wargs as well, and it was Thorin who killed the last warg by piercing his sword into the warg's side. There was a breather and everyone took that moment to process what had just happened.

"Warg scouts," Thorin confirmed. "An orc pack will follow them." Bilbo's face fell at the mention of orc pack.

Gandalf exhaled. "Does someone else know about this quest?" he asked.

Thorin raised his head. "No one I swear in Durin's name. What's going on?"

"You are being hunted," Gandalf confirmed gravely. "They must've heard about this quest somehow and started a hunt."

"We must get out of here," Allie said in agreement.

"You're right. This forest is not safe," Dwalin responded.

"The ponies have bolted!" Ori informed them, ruining all the hope the company had of escaping.

"If there are indeed more wargs out there than we have no chance of outrunning them," Fili stated grimly. "We will die for sure."

Allie chewed on her cheek as she pondered heavily about how they could possibly survive this situation. There had to be a way that they could outrun the wargs, but there was nothing that came to her mind. Their chances of making it out alive were running slim. Clearly the rest of the company was thinking the same thing as she was.

"I have an idea," Radagast then called out and Allie had somewhat forgotten that the brown wizard was there for he was standing near the back. "I will draw them off. These rabbits here as Rhosgobel rabbits and the wargs will stand no chance."

"Are you sure, my friend?" Gandalf asked hesitantly. "Orc packs are difficult to get rid of."

Radagast nodded. "It will buy you all the time that you need to get away." He got onto the back of his sled and grabbed hold of the reigns. "Take care!" Radagast gave the rabbits a sign and they immediately ran off, pulling the sleigh with them between the trees.

"We've got to GO!" Thorin erupted and the entire company agreed with him.

The dwarves, Bilbo, Allie and Gandalf finally ran out of the rather shady looking forest and into a the bright open, and vast clearing. There were large boulders that lay spread out everywhere, but Allie wondered if it could cover them well.

Gandalf signed everyone to stay quiet and the company did what they told them to, anxiously holding their breaths. From where they were standing they were able to see Radagast go across the clearing with a couple of wargs in his tow. It was a wonderful sight to see the rabbits go like that.

The company kept running now that the wargs were nowhere near them. They took this time to get as far as they could without being seen and didn't slow down. Poor Bombur's face had already colored red from the distance they had run.

They stopped behind a rock so that they're not seen by the passing wargs. Ori almost exposed himself by running out of the cover, but Thorin pulled him back.

Allie exchanged a look with Bilbo who was looking incredibly out his element and Allie gave him an encouraging smile. This was somewhat different than the life the halfling was used to back in the Shire, but he was holding on in the best way that he could. "We can get through this," she comforted him.

Gandalf gave the company the sign to keep running again and they all took off into a sprint. Thorin chose that moment to look at the wizard. "Where are you leading us?" he asked him, but the wizard said nothing.

Allie could see some of the warg scouts chasing Radagast. The dwarves took cover again behind an outcropping of rock. Apparently one of the wargs had caught the scent of the company and was now standing on top of the outcropping, sniffing loudly. Thorin looked at Kili and nodded.

Kili quickly stepped out and shot the warg with an arrow. The warg and the orc on its back fell near the dwarves, who kill him. Sadly the sound of their fight carried quite far and the other wargs who were chasing Radagast heard it and they stopped their chase. The wargs howled loudly as the scouts began pursuing the company.

"We've got to run!" Gandalf ordered.

While the company ran as fast as they could possibly run in these circumstances, Allie stood face to face with a single warg who had come from the other side. She had her bow pulled back, ready to fire. The wargs teeth were exposed into a snarl and she could smell the scent of decay coming from its mouth, which made her nose scrunch.

She released an arrow at the orc sitting on its back who fell on the ground, dead. This left her all alone with the warg. The company was already out of sight so there was no one who had her back. She had to do this on her own.

Allie grabbed another arrow and fired it with great haste, but the warg didn't seem to bothered much by her shot at its side. It growled once more before it came descending down onto her and took hold of Allie's left arm, pushing its large teeth into the flesh. Allie was able to hear the sound of her flesh ripping as the color faded from her vision. She fell onto her knees, feeling blood welling up from her wound.

She wasn't able to defend herself in the position she was in now and the warg was taking the upper hand. It was in that moment that Allie thought that she was going to die. She didn't have enough strength to fight the warg off her and it only increased the hold on her arm.

Allie let out a scream at that as tears poured down her cheek. She felt helpless as the strength faded from her body. The last thing Allie heard was a loud yell which wasn't her own before she succumbed to darkness.

~~0~~0~~0~~

The company was running as fast as they could and Bilbo felt his throat burning with every step that he took and he didn't know if he was able to keep going like this for much longer. They got a short breather as they hid behind another boulder.

"Where is Allie?" Bofur then asked.

Bilbo looked around him in fear, noticing that the red haired woman was nowhere to be seen. He was convinced that she had been right behind him last time he had checked, but clearly she had disappeared since then.

"She must've gotten lost!" Balin said.

"I'm going back to look for her," Thorin said determined. "You all have to keep going. It's not save to stay here. The wargs are quite close."

"I'll come with you," Dwalin insisted, holding onto his axe.

"So will we!" Fili and Kili chimed in.

Bilbo didn't know what had come over him, but he had unsheathed his own sword and had joined them. The thought of Allie being out there by herself was a scary one and he wanted to help, even if he had no idea how.

With that the small group ran back into the direction that they had come from while Gandalf leaded the rest of the company further away from the wargs.

Bilbo's throat was hurting from all the running but he didn't consider slowing down, nor did the dwarves who ran at his side. They kept going across the rocky plain until they heard a loud scream that set chills into all their skins.

"It's Allie!" Fili said gravely, fearing for his cousin.

This only motivated the group to keep going with great haste towards the sound that they had heard. Within seconds they saw a large greyish warg standing behind a boulder. He stood there with its back towards them. On the ground they were able to make out someone with hair as red as fire. It really was Allie.

Kili fired another arrow which made the warg angrily turn around to face the wargs. Dwalin, Thorin and Fili went at the warg with their weapons, aggressively swinging with their weapons. The warg stood no chance against such force and it perished with a snarl.

The others immediately rushed to Allie's side who lay there on the ground. She was not making any sound or moved. As Bilbo saw the huge wound that the warg had inflected on her he felt the color fading from his face. Poor Allie was covered in her own blood that had drenched in her clothes.

Bilbo knelt down beside her to check on Allie. "She's barely breathing, but she has lost a lot of blood," he informed the others. It was a painful sight to see someone as strong as Allie lay there so lifeless and broken. He wondered if she could possibly survive from this attack.

"We have to get her out of here," Thorin ordered. He took a step towards his daughter, but Dwalin interfered.

"I will carry her for you," the tough looking dwarf offered. "I am stronger than you are." With that he carefully picked up Allie who made no sound as Dwalin held her close.

Bilbo could see the guilt on Thorin's face as if he somehow felt responsible for what had happened to Allie. "We have to go now!" Thorin then said. He needed to get everyone to safety and back to the others.

"There are no wargs in sight now," Fili responded. "We should be able to make it to the others."

At that notion the small group began to ran back. Dwalin was being cautious with his running to not shake Allie too much. He needed the girl to be as comfortable as possible, especially since she was bleeding like that.

The rest of them fought of the wargs that they encountered on their way back so that Dwalin could focus on Allie and keep her safe for now. Bilbo kept close to Dwalin in the meantime making sure Allie was alright, even if he had little knowledge about healing.

After a couple of minutes of running they had caught up with the rest of the company who stood behind a boulder. "We found Allie and she's gotten injured quite badly," Kili told them.

"She needs proper treatment," Balin suggested.

"This is not the time or the best place for doing so," Oin disagreed. "Nor do we have the supplies for it. The ponies are away with ours."

"We have to keep going!" Gandalf firmly decided. "It's the only thing that we can do for now."

The dwarves couldn't disagree with that and the company set out once more. Now they were only more determined to make it out of here alive for Allie's sake.

They left the rocky terrain behind them and ran through a grassy plain. Unfortunately wargs began to surround them from all sides, and they had no chance of escaping. There were far too many.

Gandalf made them run for a while longer, but they quickly realized that they couldn't get through this. There were wargs everywhere and Bilbo felt his hope fading. It was at this moment that he regretted ever leaving his beloved Bag End behind.

"There's more coming!" Kili informed them.

"Kili!" Thorin ordered. "Shoot them!"

The dwarves did their best to fight of some of the warg's, but it was pointless. There were simply too many for them to fight. It was then that they realized that Gandalf had ran off.

"Where did the wizard go?" Dwalin wanted to know. "He's abandoned us!"

The dwarves were gathered close near a rock where Gandalf had disappeared by. The wargs only got closer to them now and Thorin pulled out his sword, ready to fight until he would die. "Hold your ground!" he yelled.

It was this moment that Gandalf chose to reappear again from a crack in the rock. "This way, you fools!"

That was enough for the company to run towards him. As the warg's approached, the dwarves and Bilbo slid into the large crack in the rock, sliding into a rave. Bofur, Dwalin, Fili and Kili made sure that Allie would get down as well by cautiously handing her towards each other. They had gotten her there without putting any pressure on her wound and she was now in Bofur's arms.

Bilbo eyed Allie and saw that during all this commotion she hadn't regained her consciousness at all. The hobbit could only hope that to where they were going they would be able to help Allie and that she would be fine. It was saddening him immensely to see such a woman like that.

While Gandalf started to count to make sure he hadn't forgotten anyone, Kili and Thorin slid down the crack as last. At that moment the company heard a horn blowing and they listen to the conflict that went on above them. One of the orcs that had gotten shot by an arrow, fell into the cave.

Thorin plucked out the arrow and examined its make, and at that his face went sour. "Elves" he growled and threw the arrow back on the ground

At the end of the cave there was a pathway, leading away. "It's impossible to see where this pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin asked them.

"I say its best that we follow it of course," Bofur said enthusiastically, even though he was still holding Allie. Slowly, the dwarf turned around and followed the rest of the company as they headed down the pathway.

"A very wise idea," Gandalf agreed.

The path they took was quite narrow and was a crack between two tall cliffs. At some parts it got incredibly narrow and the dwarves had difficulty getting through. During those times they remained cautious because they had to get Allie through this safely, but they did a great job with looking out for her. Bilbo had to admit that the dwarves cared a lot for Allie.

The pathway eventually opened out into an open area and there was a valley belong them. Bilbo came to a halt at the breathtaking view and he didn't think he had ever seen a place as beautiful before as the elven outpost. Gandalf had told him about this place before that was called Imladris in Sindarin.

"Rivendell," he muttered in awe, mostly to himself. The architecture and the landscapes and the whole otherworldly atmosphere was something he wasn't used to. He had often imagined this place by himself but his imagination didn't do this place justice in the slightest. Bilbo wondered what Allie would think of this place, but then realized that she was still unconscious and in a bad state.

"You planned this a long time ago," Thorin figured as he saw where they were. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

Gandalf frowned. "You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. Only ill-will is to be the one which you will bring to this valley yourself."

Thorin glared back at the wizard. "The elves will try to stop us if they know about our quest."

"Of course they will," Gandalf agreed. "But we have questions they can answer. Besides Allie is a desperate need of aid which the elves can give her and she will be fine. You have to put your stubbornness aside and think of her. If we are to be successful here, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which why I shall do the talking."

* * *

 **More to come soon...**


	8. The valley of Imladris

**Chapter 8: The valley of Imladris**

As Allie's eyes slowly fluttered open she saw white light as far as she could see and after a few seconds her vision cleared. She was lying in a large bed with white bedding inside a large room with bright white walls. There was sunlight that poured inside through the open door.

Allie tried to sit upright, taking in her surroundings. One thing she knew for sure and that was that she had never been here before and that this place didn't ring a bell. Allie looked down at what she was wearing and saw that these clothes weren't her own, but a sort of brownish robe. On her left arm she could see bandages and it hurt her to lift it.

She did her best to try and think of the last thing that she could remember, but there was a gap in her memory. The last thing she knew was that she was suppose to be with the rest of the company. Since they weren't here she wondered where they could possible be. Allie could only hope that they were doing alright.

Cautiously Allie tried to get out of the bed and she was sitting on the edge of it. It was then that she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the room. Reacting without hesitation Allie reached for a spoon that lay on a nightstand and grabbed it as she got onto her feet. Still feeling weak she felt slightly unbalanced.

A strange person appeared through the open door and Allie froze. It was one of the fairest women Allie had ever withheld. She was tall and had long dark hair that was weaved in a very lovely way. She wore a purple dress which was made of expensive materials. Her pointy ears only confirmed to Allie what she was.

"You're an elf," Allie stated in amazement. How could she possible have ended up with an elf?

The woman even walked with grace as she took a step towards Allie, who raised her hand. "You're planning to attack me with a spoon?" she asked. Her voice was soft and kind and Allie felt the anger and confusion fading. "You're not supposed to be out of bed yet."

"Who are you?" Allie demanded. She decided to not let this woman see fear. "Where am I and where is the rest of the company? Tell me now."

She only smiled in return. "You are a feisty one, Allie Fairchild. I have to give you that. I shall answer your questions. My name is Arwen," she introduced herself. "I am the daughter of Lord Elrond and you are currently a guest here in Rivendell. The rest of your company is here as well and they've been asking for you for two days now."

Lord Elrond? Elves? Rivendell? At that notion Allie figured that her father wouldn't be pleased at all. If there was something he didn't feel comfortable with it was being around elves and he would prevent going near them at all cost. She wondered what had driven him near here.

"How did I end up in this bed?" Allie then asked.

"You were injured and unconscious when those dwarves brought you here. My father was able to treat your wound and you are on the mend," Arwen reassured her. "You will have your strength back within a few days."

Allie felt relieved at that news. She had feared something dreadful had happened. She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable the dwarves must've been to have waited two days for her to wake up.

"Where are the others now?" Alie questioned as she lowered the spoon.

"Most of them are at the sort of camp they build near the end of the garden. Your father has been given his own room," Arwen explained.

Allie nodded. "I shall go see him straight away," she insisted.

"No, wait," Arwen called after her. "You can't go out looking like that. You need some proper clothes to wear. Besides it's almost time for them to dine together in the elven court. You shall find all your friends there."

Allie bit her lip. "Fine. It's just that I don't have any spare clothes with me. The ones I came in were pretty damaged."

"Yes, and we burned those," Arwen said with a slight smirk. "I shouldn't worry if I were you. Some small elven children have the same size that you have and I'm sure that this will fit you." The elven women held out a few dresses.

Allie couldn't remember the last time that she had worn a dress and thought of wearing one now didn't appeal to her. Still it was better than having to face everyone in these rags that she was wearing now, so she didn't have a choice about this matter.

"I will help you," Arwen offered and Allie was amazed by her kindness. "This one will look great on you."

First Allie had gotten a swift bath so that all the blood was gone from her body. The dress that Arwen had chosen was a complex one, especially to put on. First Arwen helped her into a long, strapless, violet colored dress that covered Allie's feet. Around her waist went a black bodice with silver embroidery. Over it she wore a golden chiffon top, which had very long sleeves. In general the dress was astonishing and Allie couldn't stop stroking the soft material. It was surprisingly comfortable to wear as well. She wouldn't be able to fight in it, but for here it would be a fine dress.

Arwen then took charge of Allie's hair. The many days travelling, not enough washing and the bad weather hadn't done her hair any good. But now that it was clean and neatly brushed it looked like her old hair again. Arwen had let her hair hang loose in its usual curls, which Allie felt most comfortable with.

"You look astonishing," Arwen complimented her.

Allie saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was pretty much shining and the dress that she wore fitted her body perfectly as it had been especially made for her. With these long sleeves someone couldn't tell that her had arm was wrapped in bandages. Still she didn't have the healthy color back into her skin, but besides that Allie thought she looked fine. It was nice to dress differently for once.

"Thank you," Allie said and then realized something. "I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier and -"

Arwen chuckled. "There's no harm done, Allie Fairchild. You didn't know what had happened after you've woken up."

"Can I go to the others now?" Allie asked.

"You sure may," Arwen said. "I will show you the right direction."

Allie followed Arwen out of the guest room she had stayed in and through the hallway. The halfbreed was amazed by the architecture of this place. She hadn't seen more of Rivendell than her chambers and this was a big change from that. Arwen led her outside and Allie could only smile when the sunlight touched her skin. The sun was almost setting, but it still felt warm.

"The others are down there," Arwen said, pointing ahead. "They should be there for dinner now."

"Aren't you coming?" Allie asked in confusion.

Arwen smiled. "No, I have somewhere else to be. You will be in good hands with the rest of your company," she assured her.

Allie had only known the fair elven woman for about thirty minutes but it saddened to her hear that she wouldn't be joining her. "Well, thank you. Will I see you again?"

"Perhaps we will. If not take care, little one," Arwen chuckled. With that she turned around and walked off in the opposite direction in an elegant way.

Allie took a deep breath and headed into the direction that Arwen had told her to go. As she got closer she was able to hear the soft sound of harps being played and conversations being held, letting her know that she was heading in the right direction.

As Allie stepped into the elven court she saw that the company members were gathered around the table. All the dwarves and Bilbo sat with each other there, deep in conversation. Gandalf sat at another table with an elf male that looked a lot like Arwen and Allie could only presume that was her father, Lord Elrond.

"Allie!" she heard Kili and Fili shouting happily.

At that everyone's head turned and they saw how Allie approached them. "Miss Allie!" some of the dwarves chimed in then. Most of the dwarves stood up and came at her, being happy to see her again.

Allie was overwhelmed by all the dwarves that tried to hug her right now. "Mahal, I had no idea you would all be so excited to see me," she giggled.

"Be cautious!" Balin warned. "Don't forget that she has hurt her arm. We need our Allie in one piece."

"You had us all worried, Allie," Kili said, pulling her in a separate embrace as the dwarves went back to the table.

Fili then did the same as his brother. "Yes, most of us were pretty much annoying all the elves here with our questions about you," he agreed.

When her cousins stepped back as well Allie was facing her father. He didn't hesitate at all and wrapped his strong arms around Allie, pulling her close. "Ghazam, you have no idea how glad I am to see you," he said, sounding so relieved to be able to hold her again. "When I found you with that warg you were barely alive. I can't bare it if anything happens to you. We even ended up staying among the elves because they could help you," Thorin admitted.

"I already figured that you wouldn't stay here with the elves without a reason," Allie said, feeling lighter than she had done in a while. It felt great to hold her father again. "I won't put you through this again."

Thorin laughed. "You better not, Allie. I'm glad that you're on the mend. How long until you will be better?"

"Arwen said it should take a few days until I would feel like my old self again," she said.

"Then we will wait until you've healed," Thorin responded.

Allie frowned. "You'd stay here longer with the elves?"

Thorin let go so that he could look Allie in the eye. "Mahal, help me. I would do that for you. So far the elves haven't been annoying us yet, but I can't wait until we're out of here."

Allie could only laugh with him. "I can only imagine."

Thorin grabbed her hands. "You look beautiful, Allie. Please, take a seat. Food should be here soon."

As Allie turned her head she saw Gandalf standing in front of her. "Miss Allie, how wonderful to see that you're on the mend," the wizard chuckled. "I would like you to introduce you to Lord Elrond. He was the one who treated you when you came here."

"You are most welcome here to stay as long as you like," the elf responded kindly.

Allie smiled. "I cannot thank you enough," she said gratefully.

With that Allie turned to the table she saw that the only person she hadn't talked to yet was Bilbo and the halfling was gazing at her, with a fond smile on his lips. "I'm glad that you're doing better," he said in a friendly manner. "You sure got everyone worried."

Allie could tell that Bilbo felt more in his element being here than he was when they were on the road. The peace and quiet of this wonderful place sure had done him a world of good. "That was not my intention. Still I will be my old self again within a few days," she replied positively.

"I'm sure that you will, but you have to take things easy for now. You were out for days," Bilbo reminded her. "I know that you promised to teach me how to fight, but so far Fili, Kili and some of the other dwarves have given me a lesson already. I can say that I'm not that great."

"Did they now?" Allie muttered. It surprised her that they had offered to take her place since she had been looking forward to teaching Bilbo herself. "When are you training again?"

Bilbo thought about. "I believe tomorrow morning," he recalled.

"Then I will be there to keep an eye out, making sure that they do a good job," Allie said.

At that Bilbo chuckled. "So even when you're not allowed to train me yourself, you still will come to watch," he figured.

"Of course, I will." Allie laughed. "You will be in good hands."

Bilbo addressed her one last smile. "It's good to see you again, Allie. You look amazing," he complimented her shyly and before she could thank him he took his place next to Balin.

At that moment the food was being brought in and Allie sat down beside Oin and Bofur. It quickly dawned on her that elves were vegetarians when they put bowls of salad on the table and she could only imagine how upset the dwarves were with that since they usually ate a lot of meat.

Allie asked her company members about how the previous dinners here had gone, while she ate a bit. They started to fill her in about everything that she had missed since she had lost her consciousness.

Apparently she had missed more than she thought because the dwarves told her quite a lot about how they adapted to this place. As Arwen had said they had made a sort of encampment near the garden where everyone but Thorin stayed.

"We will probably eat more there when we're done here," Bofur said cheerfully.

"Yes, these leaves don't fill at all," Fili complained.

"We grown dwarves need meat," Dwalin. "We're warriors after all."

Thorin huffed. "We will get meat soon enough when we're able to hunt again," he promised the others. "We have to stay here until Allie has her strength back, which should be a few more days. Then we head towards the Misty Mountains."

"The Misty Mountains?" Bilbo repeated, puzzled. "What's there?"

"It's just a pass we have to take if we want to get on the other side of the mountains," Balin filled in. "We have to take it if we want to get to Erebor."

"Has anyone been able to read our map yet?" Allie questioned. She recalled that Gandalf had said that they needed help with it. "Is there something that we have missed about it?"

"The elf has looked at it," Thorin said. "There were hidden notes written in moon runes. It said: stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."

Allie licked her lips. "So that basically gives us a few months to get to Erebor before Durin's Day?" It was good that they now knew this kind of information because it could be of use when they tried to find the hidden door.

Thorin nodded. "We've got some time."

It was halfway through dinner that Bofur abruptly stood up, growing tired of the music that was being made by the nearby elves. He stood amongst the food now and everyone looked at the dwarf in anticipation.

"There's an inn!" the dwarf began to sing. "A merry old inn, beneath an old grey hill."

The rest of the dwarves immediately sang along with it, knowing all the words for they had sang it a couple of times during their journey already. Some of the dwarves banged with their utensils on the table while others threw with their food.

"And there they brew a beer so brown, that the man in the moon himself came down, one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat, that plays the five-stringed fiddle; and up and down he saws his bow. Now squeaking high, now purring low, now sawing in the middle.

So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle, a jig that would wake the dead: he squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune, while the landlord shook the man in the moon: 'It's after three!' he said."

In the end all the dwarves were cheering and dancing and most of the food had been thrown. Some of it had even ended up on the walls nearby.

Allie had watched them with distaste, not believing that they would act like that a place where they were a guest. None of the dwarves seemed to be bothered by the fact and they simply kept cheering.

The only ones who weren't joining them were Bilbo and Allie. She looked at Lord Elrond who was just as confused by the display as she was, but he said nothing of it. Instead he just went on with his conversation with Gandalf as if it hadn't been interrupted.

Allie noticed that even her father had joined their cheerful moment. He stood beside his men and he had been rhythmically tapping with his foot along the music which she hadn't seen him doing in such a long time. That was something nice to see.

"Shouldn't you be singing with the others?" Bilbo asked her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?" Allie questioned with a smirk.

The Halfling chuckled. "Good point. I think it's best that I leave the singing to someone else this time."

At that Allie laughed and Bilbo was right. For now it was good to be merry because they had no idea when they could relax like this again.

* * *

 **Thanks for the review! I hope some people are still reading this and I'm definitely going to keep trying to update this :)**


	9. Training and walks

**I am deeply sorry about not updating this story in such a long time. The thing is that I went to study abroad for year in Dublin and I haven't had the time and inspiration to keep writing. Since I've returned I've picked up writing again and it's going immensely well! I hope that people are still reading this fanfic after all this time because I promise to update more frequently from now on. I already wrote a bit ahead with the story so I'm definitely making progress. I promise you all that I will finish this story and Allie and Bilbo will be happy. Mark my words.**

 **Enjoy the rest of the story. Thank you everyone who is reading this :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Training and walks**

As soon as the first sunlight poured through the window Allie wasn't able to sleep any longer because it became too bright inside. Slowly she got out of her bed and gazed around. During her stay here at Rivendell she had been given her own room so that she had some privacy from the rest of the dwarves.

Secretly Allie was a bit glad about that. Some of the dwarves had a habit of snoring when they slept, which wasn't very pleasant. It was something that often kept her awake. Now she was able to get the sleep that she needed without being disturbed by anybody.

The halfbreed was pacing around the room now and saw that Arwen had brought more clothes for her when Allie had been gone to dinner with the company. When she had returned last night she had gone straight to bed and hadn't seen the clothes on the table.

Since it was still early Allie decided to take a bath first to start the day fresh. The last time she enjoyed a proper bath was when she had been at the Blue Mountains and she gasped for one now. She went into the bathroom and was surprised to see that it wasn't just a small bath that stood there, but that elves had built a large bath that was big enough for six people. It reminded Allie of a bathhouse.

She took of her nightgown that she was wearing, leaving her completely exposed. Allie then stepped into the bath and let the warm, comfortable water ease her down. She made herself disappear beneath the surface so that she would be completely soaked and she had to admit that it felt great.

Since Allie had to spent so much time amongst filthy dwarves who hardly bathed it was wonderful be able to clean yourself properly.

Allie took her time to thoroughly wash herself clean with all the soaps that stood there for her, making sure all the filth of the last two weeks would be washed away. She was sure that by the time that she would be finished she would be smelling like these flowers they had put into their soaps for days, but she wouldn't be complaining.

After a while Allie had lost track of time. Looking at her wrinkled hands gave her an idea that she had been in the bath for too long. Slowly, she got out of the bath and reached for one of the towels that lay there nearby. She dried her hair with it before she wrapped it around herself. When Allie realized that she had forgotten to bring clean clothes with her so she left the bathroom.

As Allie stepped into the main room and looked into a familiar pair of dark blue eyes. She saw those eyes widening before they went down at her and the state of lack of clothing. "Bilbo!" Allie shrieked loudly, tugging the towel tighter around herself.

Bilbo sure hadn't expect to run into her like that and his entire face went red. "Oh! I-I'm so sorry, Allie. I didn't mean to barge into here like that," he stammered nervously, trying to look everywhere but at Allie. "I had n-no idea you would be bathing!"

"What on earth are you doing here?" Allie asked him instead.

"I came here with the intention to guide you to where me and the others would be training later," he explained nervously. He was still blushing intently. Allie could tell that even though he had turned around.

"So you just walked in?"

"No. No. That was not what I intended," Bilbo assured her. "I knocked a few times, but there was no response so I got worried. As I walked inside you came out, being all indecent and all. That's all that there happened and I'm sorry. Truly I am."

Allie had never been in a similar situation before and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Allie wasn't exactly a prude, but she wasn't used to exposing her body like that for anyone. She could tell that Bilbo was incredibly uncomfortable and hadn't meant any of this.

"It's alright. There's no harm done," Allie said. "You can stop fretting so much."

That brought some relief to the burglar. "You're not upset?"

"No, not at all. Still I'd like you to leave so I can finish getting dressed," Allie replied.

"That makes sense," Bilbo muttered, his entire face flushed.

"I don't know how long that will take but are you willing to wait for me until I've finished or should I come and find you?" Allie asked him.

"N-no. It's fine. I'll wait for you."

"Well, I hope you'll wait outside," Allie pointed out.

Bilbo's cheeks heated once more, and Allie could only smirk. "Yes, of course. I'll go now. Sorry again, Allie. So sorry. Really I am." With that he pretty much hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Allie felt that Bilbo had handled himself great during this situation and she had found it adorable that he had gotten so embarrassed about it all and had blushed so much. That was Bilbo all over. He was a gentlemen and he would never mean to do something like this to a woman.

She was quietly singing as Allie put on one of the dresses that Arwen had left for her. The one that she had chosen was made of luxurious ombre silk and had a sweetheart neckline. It had a panel of organic pin-tucked silk crossed over the chest. The olive green silk gentle faded to sage green towards the center of the gown. Beaded laces framed the chest panel. It had delicate lace and beaded detailed extended over the edges for an exquisite, airy feel.

The cape on the back was made of chiffon and was attached to a lace beaded collar that elegantly draped over the arms and back. It clasped at the neck with a gem encrusted clasp.

Seeing herself wearing that beautifully made dress in the mirror made Allie whistle. It looked really great on her and it gave her the feeling that she was someone important, almost regal. This wasn't a dress that any commoner would wear it seemed, it was far too expensive and detailed for that. Because it was made of light material it wasn't that heavy to move around it, which gladdened Allie enormously.

She brushed her hair thoroughly until it was knot free. Then she placed a green circlet on top of her head that Arwen had brought as well. The circlet was like a halo of pearls holding aloft sweeping chains that began small in the front and increased in length to a more dramatic finish in the back. Tiny stars, pearls and crystal droplets twinkle throughout the chains. It stayed perfectly in Allie's normally wild hair.

When Allie felt confident about how she looked she stepped outside of the guest room and found that Bilbo was seating on a short marble wall. He was sitting there in the early morning sun with his back towards her. He turned his head at the sound and when he saw Allie approaching his mouth fell slightly open.

"I-I wanted to apologize again for earlier. I'm such a fool," he said sincerely as he got onto his feet. "The dress you're wearing is very pretty. You look really nice, Allie." As he complimented her his cheeks had gotten red, clearly not used to complimenting women on how they looked.

Allie flashed him a warm smile. "Thank you, Bilbo. That's too kind," she said. "I'm just glad that it was you who came in and not one of the dwarves."

Bilbo chuckled. "Would that be more uncomfortable?"

"It most certainly would be," Allie responded. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes. Yes, we are," Bilbo said enthusiastically. "I will show you the way."

At that Allie strolled alongside the Halfling as he led her through the wonderful place that was Rivendell. During his stay here he had already gotten to know his way around pretty well. Allie hadn't been outside the elven court until yet, so she was astonished by everything that she saw.

Bilbo told her what the dwarves had done last night when she had retired to her room while he guided her away from the Last Homely House. They were now walking through the garden and Allie looked at the various different flowers that stood everywhere and she hoped that she could look at them properly later.

By now they had entered a large terrace that was near the dwarven encampment. As to be expected most of the dwarves were there. This place was big enough for them to train so some of them were already training. The elves had gifted them some training equipment and targets that they could use.

"Well," Bilbo started shyly when they came to a halt. "This is it. The place where the company is allowed to train."

"Allie!" she heard Kili call cheerfully.

Allie tilted her head and saw that her family had gotten rids of their shirts. Their toned, broad chests were bare and covered in sweat from their workouts. Obviously they had been practicing for a little while already.

"I had no idea that you would be here," Fili said at the sight of his cousin, flashing her a large grin.

"I had promised Bilbo that I would come to watch him train," Allie clarified. "I know that I'm not allowed to training him myself, so it's just to make sure that you do a proper job with our burglar."

"You wound us, Allie," Thorin commented, making a mocked expression. "I cannot believe you have doubt in us."

Allie made a face at her father. "It's not that I doubt you. This is all new to Bilbo and someone has to make sure that he's being taught with care. That's all I mean."

Thorin rolled with his eyes. "The burglar will be in good hands. Now sit down and take things easy. You're supposed to be resting," he insisted.

"I am taking things easy," Allie countered with a scoff. Thorin gave her a knowing look. "Alright, fine. I'll have a seat over here. Just make sure Bilbo is taught well."

"I am," Thorin muttered.

With that Allie went and sat down on the low, marble wall that surrounded one side of the balcony. It were Ori, Oin and Bombur that said beside her, since they both weren't types that would exercise. Bombur was simply too fat, Oin not in the mood and Ori felt no need with his slingshot.

Allie felt slightly uncomfortable now that she was forced to watch everything from the sideline. Normally she was always on the training ground. Now she just sat there listening to Bombur's prattle about the food here. It wasn't something that interested her much.

Bilbo took off the red coat that he had been wearing since he left Bag End. He now stood there, wearing a white shirt with longer sleeves and a light green vest over it. It had been his outfit for weeks now but seeing it without the coat made it look somewhat different. Allie wondered if that would be a comfortable outfit to train in.

The Halfling nervously held his newly found sword in his hands, trying to find the right balance with it. He didn't look very comfortable with his weapon and that was a fact.

"This is gonna be good," Oin commented, bringing his hearing trumpet to his ear to make his hearing better.

"Are you ready, Master Baggins?" Fili questioned.

Bilbo nodded a few times. "Y-yes I think I am." His gaze lingered to Allie for a brief second who raised her thumbs at him, which brought a small smile on his lips.

"Are you here to support our burglar, Miss Allie?" Ori questioned curiously.

"Yes," Allie quickly replied. "I have to make sure he's doing alright."

Thorin gave his nephews the order to take the lead with this training while he stood nearby and would step in whenever they did something wrong.

"Okay, Master Baggins," Kili began, twirling one of his own blades in his hands. "We will start to see how good your footwork is."

Bilbo gulped when the young dwarf suddenly came at him with great speed, strongly swinging his blade at the Halfling. Bilbo was able to step aside to avert the blow, and stumbled a few steps backwards.

Kili immediately was there again. The years of training was giving the dwarf the advantage. Poor Bilbo had never held a sword in his life before until a few days ago. He had no idea what he was doing.

This time Kili used his strength as he came at Bilbo, knocking him onto his back on the ground. Allie heard the dwarves around her laugh and she even saw a grin on Thorin's face.

"It's obvious that hobbits are not made to fight," Fili commented, grinning sheepishly.

"Just like they aren't meant to go out into the wild," Kili joked. The dwarves laughed harder at that.

Allie felt her hands itch and she really wanted to go out there and lash at her cousins for treating Bilbo that way. It was Bombur next to her who held her back so Allie remained where she sat. She would watch how this would progress.

Bilbo was looking more unease as he got back onto his feet, patting the dirt from his breeches.

"Ready for another round?" Kili questioned with a grin that didn't seem to fade from his face.

The Halfling nodded. He had his sword in his hand once more. "Yeah, I think I am."

"Just take it easy on him this time," Thorin said, sounding rather amused.

Kili chuckled. "I will."

He eyed Bilbo and saw that the hobbit was ready for the second round. Kili then went at the him with great speed. Bilbo took a step aside and bend forwards to avert Kili's blow, but his footwork was failing. Just like the previous round it ended with Bilbo on the ground, huffing.

More laughter of the dwarves was being heard. "You are terrible with a sword, Master Baggins," Fili joked.

"You never should've left your door," Kili added.

At that moment Allie snapped and got up, ignoring the looks from the dwarves around her. She walked towards her kin that had gathered around Bilbo. "Enough! This bloody ends now!" she yelled at them and they looked at her in confusion.

"Allie, stay out of this," Thorin responded grimly.

"No, I will not sit by and watch you how you act towards Bilbo without any respect," Allie sneered. "You're bullying him and it's mean. Need I remind you that it was Bilbo who saved everyone's lives from the trolls? Yes, he may not be a warrior, but he's doing the best he can and that's enough."

She held her hand out to Bilbo and pulled him onto his feet. She felt her injured arm throbbing painfully. Bilbo looked incredibly uncomfortable in this situation.

"Allie, you're overreacting," Kili responded, trying to remain reasonable.

"We're only just messing around," Fili added.

"This is far more than messing around. You're being mean to someone, which is completely different," she corrected them. Allie straightened her back. "From now one I will be the one who will train Bilbo. You all will leave him alone."

"Allie, why are you acting this way?" Thorin queried. "We're doing nothing wrong. Besides you're not even allowed to train him yet due to your injury."

Allie huffed. "Believe what you will, but I will train him when my arm doesn't hurt anymore. That's final."

"Mahal, you're stubborn," Thorin muttered.

"Well, I'm not the one who's bullying someone who has never held a sword before in his life and you don't hear me laughing at him. Bilbo is trying and that can only be admired," Allie snapped. "I need some time away from you all, because you're infuriating. I will come back when you have apologized to Bilbo for your rude behavior." She grabbed hold of Bilbo's hand. "We best go."

Bilbo was astounded by everything that he had just witnessed and could only nod as he allowed Allie to guide him away from the enormous terrace. They could hear the loud yells from the dwarves from behind them, who clearly weren't pleased by what had just happened.

"Where are we going?" Bilbo asked her, which was the first thing he had said.

"I was hoping that you would want to go on a walk with me," Allie responded and from the sound in her voice Bilbo could hear that she was tired from this whole situation. "If you want to of course. I wouldn't force you. I just thought it would be better to not have you or me near the dwarves right now."

Bilbo nodded. "I'd love to go for a walk with you," he reassured her and she saw the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. He realized he was still holding her hand, which had caused him to blush. Instead of holding her hand he let her hook her arm through his. "Are you alright, Allie?"

"You're asking me how I'm doing?" Allie asked rather tensed. "I should be asking you that. I'm not the one who was bullied like you were. It pained me to see you treat you like that because you did absolutely nothing wrong. In fact I thought you were doing fine for someone who haven't had lots of practice, but they had to act like total asses and it was wrong. I couldn't sit by and watch them treating you as if you're worth nothing. You are worth something."

"Allie, please calm down," Bilbo said, placidly. "I can perfectly understand why you're upset due to all this."

"Of course, I am. Why aren't you angry?" Allie asked him instead. "You should be angry."

Bilbo drew in a sharp breath. "Because as you may well know I'm not an aggressive person." The two of them now headed through the enormous gardens of Rivendell and they also looked at the scenery around them and the amount of different flowers.

"I'm well aware of that. Still someone had to scold the dwarves for what they did," Allie replied defensively. "They went too far with their bullying and it was just cruel. Please, don't listen to anything that they've said. I will gladly teach you how to fight."

"Well, they weren't lying when they said that I'm not a warrior," Bilbo responded reasonable.

"Yes, they kind of were. You're not made of warrior material, but that's fine. You're here as a burglar and that's what I shall train you for," Allie said. "From what I saw back there I know that you'll be able to understand the basics."

Bilbo smiled. "So, I will know how to fight?"

Allie returned the smile. "You will," she replied positively. "Enough to kill an orc or a goblin."

They now strolled into a secluded area in the garden. In the center stood a marble bench that was surrounded by lots of different flowers that were in bloom. The scent of it filled the air and it was wonderful.

Bilbo led her onto the bench and sat down beside her. He fidgeted with his fingers. "I do want to thank you for what you said back there, Allie. You did what I couldn't. You're right when you say that sometimes someone needs to stand up against them, and that job clearly is yours. They will listen to you."

Allie gazed up at him into his eyes. She had a sweet smile playing on her lips. "Awh, it's a good job to have. I just hope they will come around soon and apologize to you."

"I'm sure that they will," Bilbo said optimistically. He turned his head slightly to the flowers that surrounded them.

"How are you liking Rivendell so far?" Allie queried curiously, wanting to talk about a more lighter topic.

"This place is fantastic and so peaceful. I'm amazed with the architecture here," Bilbo admitted truthfully. "What about you?"

"I was about to say the same thing. This place has something magical and its impossible not to fall in love with it," she replied. "It's truly astonishing."

Bilbo paused. "Allie, I want to ask you something."

At that seriousness of that request Allie was a bit surprised, but she nodded nonetheless. "Do ask me."

"I was wondering what the name Fairchild stand for and why people call you that?"

Allie played with the raven ring around her finger. "That is a good question and I shall answer it. I was given the name Fairchild when I was only a wee child, not more than eight summers old. The dwarves in the Blue Mountains were claiming that they had never seen a girl as fair before as they had me and it had to be because my mother was a hobbit," she explained as she thought back at her younger life. "They were all convinced that when I would be a grown up woman that I would win over the hearts of all the men."

Bilbo smiled. "And did you?"

"Not quite, but I think that's a story for another time," Allie responded. Bilbo eyed her curiously. "Bilbo, trust me when I tell you that I want to tell you everything about my past, but I've only just known you for a few weeks and I -"

Bilbo surprised her by placing his hand over her in a comforting way. "Allie, you don't have to. There's no need for you tell me anything that you don't want. It's entirely up to you to tell me more about yourself whenever you are ready."

Allie had tears in her eyes. "Do you know that you are kind of amazing?" she asked him with a huge grin.

"I think I have an idea." Bilbo laughed. "But I mean it, Allie. If you don't want to tell me something, that's fine. Then tell me something instead that you do want to share, because I do enjoy listening to your stories."

"Well, then I shall tell you another story," Allie assured him and she began to tell him one about her father while Bilbo hang onto every word that she said.

* * *

 **Awh Bilbo and Allie are already becoming good friends 8D**


	10. A special visit

**Chapter 10: A special visit**

Allie had completely lost track about how long she had been sitting there with Bilbo on that bench in the elven garden, enjoying the warm spring weather. They had been talking for quite some time. Eventually they grew hungry and Allie heard Bilbo's stomach protest. The Halfling still wasn't used to the lack of food on this journey. They then went to eat lunch with Gandalf since they still were in no mood to return to the dwarves.

After lunch Allie went to another walk with Bilbo. This time they went further away from Rivendell and had ended up in a wooded area near the border. They sat down in the pleasant sun, feeling quite content. Bilbo now told Allie some stories about his life back at the Shire, which he hadn't done before, and she listened intently.

"So, you did steal something when you were a child?" Allie asked amusingly. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so free and cheerful, despite what had happened earlier with the dwarves.

Bilbo chuckled. "Well, yes. If you count those two cabbages I stole from the nearby farmer. I don't think that qualifies."

"It sure counts," Allie agreed with a wink. "You are going to steal something far more interesting than cabbages when we reach Erebor."

"From a dragon you mean?"

Allie nodded. "Yes, but that's a long way from now. We best not worry about yet."

They stayed there for the largest part of the afternoon. Around sunset they went back to the elven court. This time the company was gathered there as well around the tables and when Allie entered with Bilbo at her side there fell a silence. Everyone was waiting in anticipation about what was going to happen next.

At first no sound came from the dwarven side and Allie was tempted to sit down with Gandalf and Bilbo there, but then Kili and Fili got onto their feet and approached them.

"We are sorry for how we treated you this morning," Kili began, his head hanging low.

"It was cowardly done," Fili agreed.

Bilbo eyed Allie for a second before he nodded. "I accept your apology."

At that the dwarves at the table cheered. "That must be celebrated," Bofur exclaimed excitedly.

Allie and Bilbo were guided to the table and took their places amongst the dwarves. Allie felt relieved that this matter was resolved. The only one who hadn't made his apology had been her father, but she hoped he would come around sooner or later.

The dinner went by peacefully and the dwarves sang more songs and shared more tales. After dinner Allie retired to her room, she still felt incredibly tired due to her injury. Some sleep sounded like something she really needed.

Allie let herself fall onto the comfortable mattress, wearing her nightgown, and let her eyes fall close. The imagines of the last couple of days played out before her eyes. She saw more about her encounter with the warg who had bitten her.

Eventually after what seemed like a long time she drifted to sleep and was wrapped in bright light.

 _Allie raised her hand before her eyes to try and shut the light out, but it seemed impossible. It took a couple of seconds for her to adjust her sight to the light that surrounded her. She opened her eyes once more and saw that she was not in her room. Instead she stood somewhere outside on a carved white bridge._

 _She recognized this place as one of the bridges she had seen in Rivendell, only this time it was brighter. There were birds singing everywhere and the air felt nice against her bare skin. Allie decided to follow the bridge to see where it would lead her._

 _It surprised her that there was no one there. It was almost as if all the elves who were usually outside, had fled back inside. Allie was still determined to keep going. Whatever was going on she was filled with questions and she wanted some answers._

 _The bridge she walked on leaded her further up and across another path. In the end she came across a round balcony that had looked similar to the training ground the dwarves had used. Allie frowned when she saw this was a dead end, thinking that she had taken a wrong turn._

 _But when her gaze froze on something she knew that she had come to the right place. At the center of the balcony stood a woman wearing clothes as white as the moonlight. She was tall and had an elegant figure. Her long blonde hair flowed like a river of gold around her head. On her head she wore a silver circlet._

 _This woman was by far the fairest woman Allie had ever seen, there was no doubt about that. There was something magical about her which made it impossible for Allie to look away, especially when the elf woman turned around and their eyes locked. Her face looked as if it had been carved by one of the finest artists that Arda had to offer._

 _"Allie Fairchild," she greeted with a voice that was pleasant to listen to. "I was expecting you."_

 _Allie was skeptical about all this. "And who may you be then?"_

 _She smiled. "I am Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien," she introduced herself._

 _At that Allie could only bow slightly. "I have heard of the fair elven witch from Lorien," she admitted. "Still the tales of elves aren't that known amongst the dwarves."_

 _"That doesn't surprise me," Galadriel said and she sounded amused. "I summoned you here for a reason."_

 _"What do you mean?" Allie asked, watching how the elven queen walked around the balcony in an elegant manner. Allie was convinced that she couldn't look as graceful if she would walk alongside her._

 _"You are not really here, Allie Fairchild. This is only a dream," she explained. "This is the only way that I could contact you and that we could talk in private."_

 _Allie bit her lip. "So you mean to say is that you're not really here?"_

 _"I currently am at Rivendell for a meeting of the White Council later, but I was able to talk to you before that," Galadriel enlightened._

 _Allie looked at the waterfalls that were everywhere in the valley below them and then stared back at the elven queen. "But what can you possibly want from me? I'm only a simple girl."_

 _"And that is where you are wrong. You made right choice by joining the company towards Erebor. You have every right to be here," Galadriel corrected her, addressing her a friendly smile. "The road to the mountain is a dangerous one and you will face many foes along the way. Even there it does not stop."_

 _Allie paused for a second. "I've heard that you have the gift of foresight. Is it something that you've seen, Milady?"_

 _Galadriel continued to pace across the balcony. "There are many things that I have foreseen. I do not come here to burden you with the future. I only wanted to let you know that I am willing to help you."_

 _"Help me with what?" Allie asked quietly._

 _"To make the way easier for you," she clarified. "You have no enemies here." Galadriel came to a halt in front of her and held out her hands. On it lay something underneath a dark green fabric. She nodded at her, allowing Allie to pull away the fabric. She had two daggers in the palm of her hands. They glittered in the moonlight. The daggers were beautifully made with inscriptions on near the metal hilt, which Allie assumed were in Sindarin. "These daggers are forged by the High Elves a long time ago. They have served their purpose in a war before by some important elf lords. Now it will aid you, Allie Fairchild."_

 _Allie frowned as she took the daggers and felt them in her own hands. "These are very fine daggers and are nicely balanced. Why are you giving it to me?"_

 _"Because I believe it will be of great use to you on your journey. By keeping this with you people will see that you go with the blessings of the elves, and that you are Elf-Friend, a title I have just bestowed on you," Galadriel explained. "Only elves or people with that name are able to use such a daggers."_

 _"I am sincerely flattered by everything that you're doing for me, Milady. Still I can't help but wonder what you could possibly want in return for it?"_

 _"There is nothing that I want that you could give me, and that's fine. I only want to know that I deem you worthy of these daggers and that you use them well."_

 _Allie smiled. "I can promise that they will serve me well," she said. "I'm just curious as to why an Elf Queen would aid the daughter of the King Under the Mountain?"_

 _"You are far more than that. You are also your mother's daughter and her memory lives on in you," Galadriel indulged. "Besides you shouldn't be held responsible for the rivalry between the dwarves and the elves, for you take no part in that. You are destined for amazing things and this quest will obey your desires."_

 _"My desires?"_

 _"Oh, yes. Everyone has them. You search for a good and stable home for your people and to restore Erebor to its former glory. There is more you seek. You yearn to be accepted. Even now you still feel like you're worth nothing because of your blood, but you're more honorable and courageous than most people. The last thing you seek is love, to be adorned with love and to return it to someone worthy. I will give you one tiny glimpse of what you future holds and you will find love."_

 _Love? Allie repeated inside her head. She would find love? She couldn't imagine that someone would love her, but she kept quiet about the matter. This wasn't something she should dwell on._

 _"But what about the rest of the quest?" Allie asked. "Will that go well?"_

 _Galadriel continued to pace further around the balcony. "It's best to keep my lips sealed about the matter and not to burden you with it. You have to experience it all for yourself."_

 _Allie felt weary from all the information she had just received and wasn't sure how to process it all._

 _"The connection is growing thin and it's best that we part ways now," Galadriel said. She stood still before Allie, addressing her a warm smile. "Go with all the good will of the elves and you shall succeed. Don't ever doubt the courage of your own heart and you find the happiness you so desperately desire."_

 _Allie could only bow, showing her respect for the Elven Queen. "I owe you for the kindness you've just showed me, Milady."_

 _"You don't owe me anything. Focus on the journey ahead of you, Allie Fairchild. Be strong and brave and listen to your heart."_

 _All that Allie could see was Galadriel smiling at her before the image faded and then there was only darkness. The connection had broken and she had drifted back asleep._

~~0~~0~~0~~

The sound of someone repeatedly knocking on the door caused Allie to wake from her sleep. Slowly, she sat up right and rubbed the sleep out of her blue eyes. She hadn't been able to sleep too much that night and the strange dream she had as well, had given her lots of questions

There came more knocks, which reminded Allie that there was someone at the door. She got out of bed and by how her dark her room was she figured that it wasn't even dawn yet. Allie opened the door and was completely surprised to see her father standing there. He was wearing his travel gear.

"Allie," he greeted as if he hadn't showed up at her doorstep before dawn. "Were you still sleeping?"

She nodded. "I kind of was. The sun hasn't even risen yet," she pointed out with a yawn. "Why are you here so early? Shouldn't you be with the others?"

"I came to tell you that we leave within an hour," Thorin made clear. "The rest of the Company is almost ready to depart and we want to get a move on."

"We're already leaving today?"

"Yes, Allie. I know that you're still not your old self yet, but we shouldn't waste too much time here amongst the elves," Thorin responded. "We have to make it to Erebor before Durin's Day. We plan to make a head start."

Allie couldn't disagree with that last matter. "Alright, that's understandable. Is Gandalf coming along as well?" she asked.

Thorin shrugged slightly. "Not quite. He's told to meet us in the Misty Mountains."

It brought some relief to know that the wizard would come along with them. They were going to need all the strength that they could along the way.

"I will come to the encampment whenever I'm ready," Allie said.

Thorin flashed a smile. "We will wait for you." With that he turned around and walked away. Allie watched until he was out of sight before she closed the door behind her and went back inside her room.

Yesterday Arwen had left more clothes in the closet despite the usual dresses. It seemed that the elven maiden had even left some warm, comfortable gear for Allie as if she had known that she would need it soon. She put on the grey shirt with long sleeves. Over it she put on a corset with an olive green print. It was similar to the one she had worn when she had left Bag End, but because of the different color it looked new. She put on black breeches with it and long, brown leathered boots.

Her entire outfit was new and gifted by the elves, but it felt like something she had worn before. Allie then untangled her messy hair, making it knot free and then decided to weave it into a simple side braid to keep it in one place.

Allie's gaze then drifted to the beautifully made eleven daggers that lay on the table and it confirmed that her dream last night had been reality. She really had spoken with the elven Queen from Lothlorien and had been gifted by her. Thinking of it made Allie smirk as she tugged those daggers into her boots. She then walked out of the door to find her dwarves.

* * *

 **Oh that surely was a special dream. From now on things are going to get pretty interesting.**


	11. The edge of the wild

**Chapter 11: The edge of the wild**

As Allie reached the encampment she saw that the dwarves were indeed almost ready to the depart. Most of their belongings had been packed already and others had their equipment strapped to their backs.

"Ah, Miss Allie," Balin chirped at the sight of red haired woman. "How good it is to see you. How is your arm coming along?"

"It's not so bad to be honest. It still hurts when I move it, but I'm sure that will pass within a couple of days," Allie replied hopefully.

Balin placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't fret too much. That warg managed to bite you deeply so it will take time to heal. Do ask Oin to take a look at it later today. He knows what he's about."

She nodded. "I will do that. It could use a good salve."

"Also don't hesitate to ask one of the lads should you need anything. We are all willing to help you," the old dwarf offered kindly.

"I will keep that in mind," Allie assured him.

She turned around and saw that Bilbo was in deep conversation with Bofur about something. The Halfling had the same walking stick in his hand that he taken with him from Bag End. She was surprised to see how he still got it now, despite them all being chased through the hills which was a steep climb. Allie was walking alongside her cousins.

"We leave now," Thorin's voice instructed the others. It was quieter than it usually was and Allie assumed that was because he didn't want to alarm any elves about their departure. Still they all knew that the elves possessed a much better hearing than they had. It wouldn't be long before they realized that the dwarves would be gone. It would only give them a little head start.

Thorin led them across the road that went away from the valley of Imladris. It went up towards the mountains. For a very early morning it was already getting quite chilly as they went higher upwards. Allie kept an eye out and saw that her cousins were still beside her. Since they had apologized to her about the incident with Bilbo she felt more at ease to be around them again, so she listened to their usual prattle.

As they reached the top of the hill Allie abruptly came to a halt when Bilbo did in front of her and she nearly bumped into him. Her hands landed on his shoulder to stabilize him, which made him look into her eyes. "Sorry," Bilbo apologized as the rest of the company walked past them.

"It's alright. Why did you stop anyway?" Allie wondered.

Bilbo sighed and Allie followed his gaze to the beautiful outpost of the elves that lay in the valley. There truly wasn't a place as peaceful as Rivendell.

"I hope to go back there some day," Bilbo admitted truthfully. "But it seems unlikely."

"You may go back when this is all over," Allie said encouragingly. "Just don't feel gloom." She realized that she still had her hands on his shoulders and retreated them.

"But how can you say that we will survive this quest?" he asked.

"I can't promise such a thing, Bilbo. There is every chance that we will die on the road. Should we succeed and you go on your way back to the Shire then you could always make a stop here," Allie suggested. "The elves here have been generous hosts."

Bilbo flashed her a smile. "Don't let your father hear about your opinion about the elves." Allie rolled with her eyes, a smile on her lips.

At that moment Thorin appeared behind them and called out for them because they were losing behind from the others. Allie chuckled as they turned around and headed after the rest of the company.

"Downside of having to leave so early is that we missed breakfast," Allie complained. She hadn't gotten any time to eat something before they had set out and she hoped that they would get regular breaks today, but she doubted it with her father. He was very eager to make as much distance from Rivendall as he could.

The Halfling chuckled. "I'd do anything for a freshly baked strawberry cake right now."

Allie groaned. The thought of food only made her stomach growl louder. "That's not helping in the slightest, Bilbo. It only makes me more hungry," she said.

"Sorry, but I just can't help it. I do miss the food," he pointed out. "Allie, do you mind if I walk with you today?"

Allie was a bit stunned by his suggestion, but she nodded. "Sure. It's nice to be able to talk to someone other than the dwarves. They can bore you with their fascination with beards and gold."

"Speaking of beards," Bilbo began curiously. "I heard some of the dwarves talk about how women have beards as well. Still you don't have one."

"Yeah, I think that disqualifies me from being a good dwarf," Allie laughed. "My mother's genes must've been strong when it came to the facial hair I guess. Just between you and me I'm somewhat gladdened that I don't have to brush a beard."

Bilbo laughed at that, louder than Allie thought he would. She saw how some of the dwarves had turned their heads, probably wondering why the burglar was laughing like that. Allie noticed how well that she and Bilbo were getting along. She liked talking with him and to just listen to him. They were good friends, that was for sure. Allie was a generous soul and she always liked having friends around. This was just the first time she had a friend that wasn't a dwarf of a wizard, but she wasn't complaining about the matter at all.

The company went on, completely leaving Rivendell behind them. As they walked the scenery around them changed. There was lots of tall grass, and rocky slopes. It was somewhat more difficult to walk on such terrain, but it didn't slow them down. The dwarves were used to hiking long distances in such circumstances and this wasn't anything different.

The morning pretty much went by like that. It was around noon that some of the dwarves grew too hungry to press on like that. They were at the slopes of the Misty Mountains now, and the weather was still good.

"We have enough time for a break. This means that we need some of you to hunt," Thorin informed as everyone dropped their bags and supplies on the ground. Allie eyed her father, wanting to offer herself as a volunteer but he shook his head. "No, you're not mended yet." He then told Fili and Kili to do it and they left swiftly after that, eager to show everyone they were skilled hunters.

Dwalin then came to a halt next to Allie, noticing the grim expression on her face. "I can tell that it's bothering you, lass," he figured.

Allie looked up at the tall dwarf, biting her lip. "Is it that obvious?"

"It kind of is. I know you well enough and you're not someone who can sit by and do nothing. Why don't we practice archery a bit while we wait for them to come back?" Dwalin offered generously. "It's just some light exercise."

At that Allie nodded eagerly. "I could use some exercise. I haven't used my arm for too long."

Dwalin chuckled. "I expected that you would say that."

The dwarf had chosen a fallen log as a target for their practice in the center of their encampment. Everyone saw how Allie picked up her bow and quiver and clearly not everyone agreed with what she was doing.

"Are you sure it's wise to practice again?" Bofur asked skeptically.

"My arm doesn't hurt. It's just stiff because I haven't been able to use it properly for days now and some little exercise shouldn't harm me," Allie reasoned with him. "I'll be fine." That was enough to quiet the dwarves who kept watching her.

She pulled back the string of her bow as she fixed her attention on the target before her. Allie exhaled deeply, making herself focus. She released the arrow which whisked through the air, landing a few inches above the target. Allie bit her lip as she held her arm.

"How does that feel, lass?" Oin asked, noticing that she didn't look too comfortable.

Allie shook her arm, hoping to make the feeling fade. "It's just so bloody stiff," she complained. "I wasn't able to stretch it properly."

"That's no wonder," Oin countered. "Your muscles were bitten through so its suppose to hurt sadly enough. It's good that you try to exercise it so that it doesn't stay stiff like that, but just don't overdo it. Even with the elven medicine it's going to take some time to mend completely."

"So I can keep practicing for now?" Allie questioned.

The old dwarf nodded. "Just for now, but I will tell you when it's time for you to quit. It will heal."

That brought relief to Allie. She was well familiar that she wasn't very patient when it came to her own health. She simply wanted to keep exercising and doing whatever she always did on her old level. It wasn't pleasant that she wasn't able to do that now, but she had to bite through that.

Allie drew back her bow, transfixing on the target again. She tried to stretch her arm in the best way that she could, but she could feel it throbbing. Allie bit her lip to ignore it, focusing on what was in front of her. As her breathing was steady, she released the arrow and this time it actually landed in the target. It wasn't in the center yet, but it was getting closer.

"You will get there, lass," Dwalin reassured her. "I know how good you are."

"Well, you can know how good I am since you're the one who taught me after all," Allie teased.

He chuckled. "If I recall correctly you were quite frightened when you first came to the arena at such a young age. I could tell that you had the determination and courage that's required for it, and you proved me right. You were horrible at the beginning, but you kept going. Never giving up. In the end your shots proved to be better than that of your own father."

At that Thorin huffed. "I am well aware of that because Allie kept rubbing it in my face." The dwarves who had been listening all laughed at that. Some of them had been there to see that happen and remembered little Allie being so enthusiastic.

Dwalin went to practice his archery now and as everyone watched him Thorin took Allie apart, wanting to speak with her about something.

"I just wanted to tell you that I will never forget the look on your mother's face when you showed us how skilled you had become with a sword and archery. She was so proud of you, Gemez," he said. Allie could hear his voice cracking slightly at the mention of her mother.

"I won't ever forget that either," Allie replied, smiling at the memory. "We were so happy."

Thorin wrapped his arms around her, cautiously. "We were," he whispered as he pulled her close. His hand went through her curls, petting them reassuringly.

"I still miss her," Allie admitted honestly, tears staining her eyes. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and I often wonder what our lives would've looked like had she still been there with us."

"She still is here with us, Gemez. She will always be there to watch over you I am convinced of that," Thorin responded comfortingly. "You truly are a daughter of your mother and you show me that every day. I know that she wants us to be happy."

"We've been through a lot in our lives and I know for certain that we will find our happiness in the end when this is all over because we've definitely deserved it," Allie said optimistically. "We have to keep going for my mother's sake."

Thorin kissed her forehead lovingly. "We will. I am also sure that you will find someone who you will love just as much as I loved your mother. I may not like it that you will love another man more than you will love me, but I know that you will do me proud by choosing a just dwarf man to form an alliance."

Allie wasn't too sure how to respond to that. It was obvious that he still expected her to wed a noble dwarf who came from a good family. That seemed to be most important to her father. The last thing she wanted was to wed someone for political reasons, but he seemed to think something different. He hadn't changed his opinion about that over the years and Allie chose not to dwell on this matter again.

By then Fili and Kili returned with a deer that they had managed to slain. The dwarves pitched in with preparing the deer for lunch so that everyone had some fresh warm stew. Allie had to admit that it felt great to eat meat again after so many days and that she had started to miss it.

When they had all eaten something the company set out again. It was around noon and they still had enough daylight left to cross more distance and to get further into the mountains.

The more they walked the darker the skies became. They went higher into the mountains and by now the rain had come pouring down the skies and a strong wind had come from the east. This only made it more difficult for them to keep going, but still the company went on.

With this dreadful weather Allie was somewhat relieved that she was wearing a cloak and was able to put it up to shield her face from the heavy rain that came down. It prevented her from getting soaking wet, which was the last thing she wanted with such cold. Besides she couldn't afford to get sick. She had to stay with the company. The only thing that had gotten wet from the rain were her boots.

The mountains grew stranger as they went and had odd shapes. Allie could tell that her father wasn't too sure as to where exactly they needed to go. He wasn't known for his skills with direction at all. Luckily Balin had been there to help Thorin out with choosing the right way.

"The place feels strange," Balin admitted.

"We have to keep going!" Thorin answered. He was almost shouting so that he was heard above the rain. "If we go back now it all has been for not."

"Then we will go up the slope," Balin suggested. "We have to go higher into the mountains. That's the only way if we want to get through the Misty Mountains."

So up the steep slope the company went. It wasn't exactly pleasant to climb that with such weather, but they had no other choice. They had all managed to make it up and now they only had to follow the small path along the cliffs, that brought them further into the mountains.

Allie felt cold to bones and her arm was hurting her more than it had before. Probably the chill weather wasn't doing the wound and muscles that much good, but she chose to ignore it for now.

Hours went by while the company kept walking. By now the night had fallen and rain was still pouring down heavily. It had even started to thunder which didn't lighten their moods at all. They were high in the mountains now. It cost them all a lot of effort to stay on the small path and not to fall down. Since they were so high up they wouldn't survive such a fall which all brought them on their guards.

Allie froze on her spot, desperately trying to grasp Balin's arm when she saw something moving. There in the distance in front of them she was able to make out the shape of something large moving. At first Allie thought that her sight was deceiving her and that she was just imagining things. But when the shape continued to move and come closer she knew that this was real.

"Oh that doesn't look too good!" Allie shouted.

The dwarves turned their heads and saw how the large rock that Allie had seen moving around, now threw an enormous rock towards another large moving rock. It was a strange sight and everyone was amazed by what they were witnessing. None of them had seen this before.

"Bless my beards!" Gloin muttered.

"The legends are true indeed," Bofur added in awe.

"They're stone giants!" Balin confirmed, which everyone had already assumed. They had heard tales of such legends, but had never thought them to be true.

"We best get out of here," Allie suggested. "We don't want them to target us next!"

"I agree with, Allie," Bombur shouted over the rain.

"I don't really fancy being smashed," Fili said as more boulders were being thrown.

At that moment the mountain moved. Allie cursed under her breath as her stomach surged in her throat. They were standing on a stone giant, which now stood up causing everything to shake. A wide rent appeared between Fili and Kili. The cliff they were standing on was splitting in two.

Allie pulled Fili back with her so that he was gone from the edge and wouldn't tumble towards his dead. She held tightly onto him, as he tried to stabilize himself.

"We have to stick together," Allie said. Because of the rock splitting they were now separated from the half of the company and only had Dwalin, Ori, Bofur and Bombur with them. The rest was standing on the other side, looking at them in pure horror as they moved further apart.

"Watch your balance," Fili answered. Allie simply refused to let go off him, fearing that he would fall forwards if she did. That was something she didn't want to risk.

The stone giants kept moving and by now the two ledges where all the company members were standing on, nearly hit one another. Allie was able to hear some of them scream in fear over the sound of the rain and the thunder. She could only hope that they would all be save over there.

There was no time to panic for the ledges didn't slow down. It moved closer towards the mountain with good speed and an idea came to Allie's mind.

"We have to jump on the mountain side before the stone giant hits it and we get crushed!" she informed all the remaining dwarves that stood at her side. "It's our only chance!"

The dwarves agreed with her and when the mountain came closer they shouted, "Now!" before they all leaped onto the ledge of the mountain. They landed on top of each other on the ground as the stone giant crashed on the mountain above them. For a couple of seconds nothing happened, but then the giant stumbled down into the abyss.

Allie could only sigh in relief that at least they had made it safely to the mountain without being crushed to dead. At that moment the rest of the company came around the corner and they shouted cheerfully when they saw that everyone was alright, for they had feared they had died.

As Allie pulled Bombur onto his feet with Kili she heard Bofur ask everyone, "Where is Bilbo?"

She felt foolish for not noticing before that the burglar wasn't amongst them. She had assumed that he had been there and hadn't checked to be sure. She felt herself panicking as she looked around her to try and find Bilbo.

To her surprise the Halfling had tumbled was dangling over the ledge. He had probably fallen down and had desperately grabbed onto the ledge so that he wouldn't fall to his dead.

Immediately everyone rushed towards him, and Allie lay down on the ground so that she could better reach them. Somehow she had managed to take hold of Bilbo's hand, but due to the wetness from the rain she felt his fingers slipping through hers. She tried to tighten her grip, but the weight of Bilbo being soaked and him wearing his equipment was too much for her to pull him up.

Still Allie refused to let go off Bilbo and reached further, almost toppling herself over the ledge in the process. She was being pulled back by Dwalin and Kili before she would fall herself. Allie didn't want to happen. She had to grab Bilbo, but she simply couldn't reach him properly. She kept missing him by a few centimeters.

Thorin chose that moment to get onto a lower ledge, hauling Bilbo up by his jacket. The strength of the dwarf was enough to lift the hobbit up into the waiting hands of Allie and the other dwarves and they pulled Bilbo safely onto the mountain. When Bilbo was safe Allie reached out to support her father on his climb back as well, making sure that he wouldn't fall.

Once that everyone was save back onto the mountain they tried to catch their breaths. "For a moment there I feared that we'd lost our burglar," Bofur said with a relieved laugh.

Clearly Thorin was the only one who didn't agree and growled. "His auctions almost caused Allie to fall down. He made a mistake by leaving the Shire."

* * *

 **The tension between Thorin and Bilbo is as strong as ever. I'm going to give Allie and Bilbo more time together in the next chapter because they need it. Also things are going to get quite interesting.**


	12. Down town to Goblin Town

**Chapter 12: Down town to Goblin Town**

"I can see a cave up ahead," Kili said. His sight was definitely the sharpest of everyone and especially with this weather.

The stone giants had moved off a while back which gave them the chance to keep moving and to find a save place to spend the night. They couldn't camp out here in the open with this weather, nor with the risk of the stone giants coming back. Plus everyone was tired from the long day's hike and they couldn't go on much further.

"We make for the cave," Thorin said.

Allie was rubbing her own shoulders, trying to keep warm despite the cold. She was pretty much stumbling on in silence amongst the rest as she tried to process what had just happened. She couldn't imagine the fear Bilbo must've felt when was dangling over the ledge like that. The hobbit hadn't uttered a word since Thorin had lashed out at him for being here. Once again Allie was wondering why Bilbo was being treated like that when he had done absolutely nothing wrong.

Luckily the cave wasn't that far away and they managed to reach it within a couple of minutes. They stepped through the cave's ragged threshold. It was a dark place, but at least it was dry. "Scout out," Thorin barked. "We can't risk the chance that this cave is being occupied."

Fili was the one who reported that there was no sign of any other living thing inside the cave. Gloin rubbed his hands. "We best get a fire started." He was searching through his supplies for some firewood.

"No fires," Thorin said. "We don't want to let anyone in these mountains know that we are here and a fire would only show our presence here."

"We were supposed to wait for Gandalf in the mountains," Balin complained.

"Plans change," Thorin responded. "We couldn't stay out there with those stone giants. We're saver here with coverage. Gandalf will find us."

Allie was sitting on her bedroll now. She was still somewhat freezing and had taken off her wet cloak, and had replaced that with a dry blanket from her bag. She wrapped it tightly around herself in the hope to stay warm. Since there was no fire and this place was damp that was becoming a nuance. The only fortunate thing was that since they were with so many and they all had their bedrolls quite close to another, that their body temperatures sure heated the cave somewhat. Still Allie found it far too chilly.

It didn't take long until the first dwarves had drifted asleep. The sound of steady snoring filled the cave and it mixed on the background with the sound of the storm that was brewing outside.

Somehow Allie wasn't able to catch some sleep. She simply sat there by herself with her back against the wall as she was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't stop shivering and while she sat there Thorin's words earlier to Bilbo kept repeating themselves inside her head. It was just unjust how he was treating their burglar.

It must've been around midnight that Allie saw someone getting up, despite it being completely dark. She knew that Bofur was keeping watch, but from the shape and lack of sound that were being made as this person moved it could only be Bilbo. The fact that he was moving in the middle of the night was a strange thing for he seemed to have brought his pack with him.

"Where do you think you're going?" she quietly heard Bofur ask as Bilbo tried to sneak unseen past him.

This awoke Allie's curiosity because it proved that Bilbo was heading somewhere and she wanted to know where. From where she was sitting they weren't able to see that she was awake and listening to what they were saying.

"I'm going back to Rivendell," Bilbo answered.

At that Bofur got onto his feet. "No, no. You can't turn back now. You're a part of the company as much as we are."

Bilbo scoffed. "You and I both know that's not true. Thorin was right when he said that I should never have come. I'm not a Took, I'm only a Baggins. I shouldn't have ran out my door."

His words stung Allie because she hadn't expected that Bilbo would truly feel this way. Sure she knew that Thorin's words would've effected him. Who wouldn't be hurt when someone told you that you didn't belong here. But that didn't mean that it would be fine for him to just leave.

"You're homesick. I understand that you miss your hobbit-hole," Bofur went on.

Bilbo shook his head. "No, that's the thing. You don't understand. None of you dwarves do. You're all used to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere." Bilbo then realized what he had said and that his words had offended Bofur. "Sorry, I didn't mean to -"

Allie felt hurt after hearing Bilbo say. Not because he was offending them, but because it was the truth. All that Allie had known her entire life existed from travelling from one place to another. She had never truly felt at home somewhere so she didn't know what homesickness truly felt like. As Allie tilted her head she was able to see that her father was wide awake as well, trying to listen to what was being said. She could tell that these words affected him.

"No, you're not lying. We don't belong anywhere," Bofur said sadly. He then gave Bilbo a fond smile. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I truly do."

Bilbo nodded, not knowing what to say at his departure. All that Allie wanted to do was scream and to try and stop Bilbo from leaving because she grown quite fond of him during the short time that they had gotten to spend together. Seeing him leave wasn't something that she wanted. He belonged here just much as the rest of them.

After Bofur had placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder, Bilbo turned around and began to walk away. "What's that over there?" Bofur then asked him. Something was glowing. Bilbo pulled his sword partway out of its sheath and saw that it was growing bright blue.

Allie remembered his words well. That meant that orcs or goblins are nearby. At that notion she got up, but froze when she heard strange noises that she couldn't explain. Thorin was sitting up right next to her, clearly he had heard the same as her. Both of them were trying to find out where that sound was coming from.

Then a crack formed in the sand on the floor of the cave.

"Wake up! Wake up now!" Thorin bellowed, alarmed.

There was no time for anyone to react. The floor bellow them collapsed downwards. That meant that the floor truly was a giant trap door. Everyone fell down a chute, sliding through a tunnel.

Allie couldn't find her voice to scream, but she did hear the screams of the dwarves around her. They all feared that they would fall to their deaths. Instead Allie held onto her father as they buffed into the stone walls as they kept falling. The entire company was nothing more than a rain of falling limps while they plummeted into the unknown. None of them could see where they were going, for all there was around them was darkness.

And then Allie came to an unexpected halt, landing spread-eagled on top of someone's shoulder, her face buried in someone's feet. She felt more dwarves landing next to her and Kili and Bombur even landed half on top of her. Allie could only growl as she carefully tried to shove them off her so that she could move.

As soon as she was able to move again she got onto her feet, feeling somewhat unbalanced from the fall.

"Everyone get up!" Thorin ordered.

Allie looked around her and saw that they were far bellow the surface of the mountain. They had fallen quite a distance and now they were standing in the centre of the mountain on top of a strange looking platform. The rope and spikes that stood behind here were decorated with different kind of bones, but mostly skulls.

When they heard the high screeches that could only belong to one kind of creature they all knew where they were.

"Get your weapons!" Dwalin barked.

Allie unsheathed her own daggers from her boots as she saw an enormous group of goblins running towards them across the platforms, making quite a racket as they went along. She was certain that everyone inside this mountain was able to hear their screams.

There were more goblins than Allie could count and it didn't take long until they were completely surrounded and their weapons were of no use. The goblins weren't nice and pushed and pulled at the company with a lot of force. The dwarves had no choice but to go with them.

Allie still held her elven dagger in her hand, which the Lady Galadriel had gifted to her. She was surprised when she felt how something pulled her down and when she was about to scream a hand covered her mouth, and she had to swallow the sound. Her eyes widened in amazement when she was saw that it was Bilbo who had pulled her down. Because they were quiet and low on the ground the goblins around them hadn't noticed them. Instead they walked away with the rest of the company, leading them somewhere else.

Once they were alone Bilbo dared to remove his hand from Allie's mouth and they slowly got onto his feet. "That was some clever thinking," Allie said, picking up her other dagger.

"I had to improvise," Bilbo admitted truthfully. "The goblins were so focused on the dwarves that they paid no attention to us. It was our only chance to get away." He was holding his own sword in his hand, which still glowed brightly in the dim light. With it they would be able to see where they were going in a dark place like this.

"We have to get to the others," Allie said with a whisper."Mahal only knows where they're leading them. Knowing goblins, that can't be a good thing. We're the only chance they have of getting out of here."

"Then we'll go."

Allie followed Bilbo as they quietly walked over the wooden platforms. Because they were both surprisingly light, it barely made any noise as they moved around them. This gave them the perfect advantage to move across it without being detected. Allie was simply astounded by how bravely Bilbo was acting at the moment, for he was the one who was leading them.

Out of nowhere two goblins jumped in front of them. One rushed at Bilbo with his sword. Bilbo, never having used a sword before in his life, somehow managed to fight back. Meanwhile Allie faced the other goblin, who wasn't much a fight, and she stabbed him in his abdomen.

She went to aid Bilbo, who was still swinging with his sword at the goblin. Because of that they weren't really paying much attention to where they placed their feet and the goblin was the first to tumble backwards over the platform.

Allie threw herself forwards so that she could grab hold of Bilbo's hand, but missed. She slipped over the edge herself. Before she could fall she was held up by Bilbo who had taken hold of her shirt. They were both hanging over the edge now, and Bilbo was holding onto a rope.

Allie could see that he was losing the grip on that. Her weight was too much of a nuance to him. "Let me go, Bilbo!" she shouted at him.

"Don't be absurd!" he countered as if she was suggesting something completely foolish.

"If you let me go, you'll be able to pull yourself up!" Allie yelled back.

"Allie, you're being stupid! I'm not going let go off you!" Bilbo assured her.

"Then we will both fall," Allie said. "At least if you'll let me fall you will make it out of here. Someone has to help the others."

"Allie, for the last time," Bilbo began, losing more grip on the rope. It cost him more strength to hold onto it. "I'm holding on to you."

"It's alright, Bilbo," she tried to reassure him. "It's all going to be fine. All you need to do is let me go."

Obviously Bilbo didn't want to argue with her on the matter any further and he chose to ignore her pleadings. He wasn't going to let go off Allie and let her plunder to her death by herself. He would never forgive himself if he did so. He was using all the strength that he had left in him to try and pull them back the platform, but it wasn't enough.

Then his hand slipped, which made him to lose complete hold on the rope. Having nothing to hold onto both caused Allie and Bilbo to fall. The only thing Bilbo could grab hold of was Allie and he did his best to pull her against him, so that he could shield her against anything they could possibly face down there. He could hear her screaming at the fear of falling to their deaths.

As they fell through darkness they knew nothing more.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Allie groaned softly as she tried to move and felt a sharp pain in her back. Her eyes fluttered open and she realized that she had landed half on top of Bilbo. His face was only a few inches away from hers and was able to feel his warm breath against her cheek.

Slightly she tilted her head, seeing that they were lying behind a clump of mushrooms. The goblin that had attacked Bilbo earlier was lying nearby, almost dead.

Allie gently placed her hand against Bilbo's cheek, trying to wake him. They had to get out of here before they would run into more goblins. Her soft caressing created a change in Bilbo's breathing and slowly his eyes opened. When he took sight of Allie being so close to him he looked slightly alarmed.

He was about to say something to her, but Allie then placed her finger against his lips when she heard someone. Bilbo remained quiet as a strange creature approached the almost dead goblin. It was about the same size as they were and wore no clothes, except a small brown loincloth to cover his private area. Whatever this creature was, it was no goblin for it looked different.

"Yes. Yes!" it shrieked happily at the sight of the goblin. "Gollum. Gollum." Whenever he said Gollum he made a sound like a cat would whenever it choked on a hairball. Allie assumed that must've been the creature's name.

From where they were lying they were completely out of sight and it wasn't possible for Gollum to see them. They saw how Gollum circled around the goblin and then began to pull the goblin away by its feet. This caused the goblin to wake up and flailing around. In a fit of rage Gollum grabbed a nearby rock and pounded the goblin the head with it, making it lose its consciousness.

Allie was disgusted by what they were witnessing. Then a golden ring fell out of Gollum's loincloth and fell onto the floor. Gollum was too occupied with pulling the unconscious goblin away to notice that he had lost something.

"Nasty little goblinses," he cried out. "Better than old bones, precious. Better than nothing."

When Gollum was out of sight Allie finally dared to move away from Bilbo and they got out of their hiding spot. Allie felt that during the fall she had gotten a couple of bruises, but besides that she felt little pain. It wouldn't be enough to slow her down. She saw that Bilbo was in a similar fortunate state as she was. It was amazing how they had survived such a fall with only a couple of bruises.

"Nothing more than a few bruises. Are you hurt?" Allie asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I'm good."

Bilbo had his sword again while Allie held one of her daggers, stuffing the other back into her boot. With the light of his sword they were able to see where they were going. Bilbo then found the ring that Gollum had dropped earlier. He went to pick it up in the dim light.

As he examined it Allie took a close look at the ring as well. It was a beautiful golden ring with an inscription on the side in a language Allie didn't recognize. "It's a very lovely ring," she commented.

"It must certainly is," Bilbo agreed. "I best take it with me." He then stuffed the ring into his pocket.

They could hear Gollum singing in the distance. "I think we have no other choice but to follow this Gollum creature to find a way out of here," Allie suggested unsure. "Unless you've got another idea let's hear it."

"No. No, I have no other idea," Bilbo responded. "We'll follow him."

And like that Allie and Bilbo followed the sounds of Gollum's cry. The creature hadn't gone too far and they caught up with him pretty easily. They heard him singing and arguing with himself.

" _The cold hard lands, they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet. The rocks and stones, they're like old bones, all bare of meat. Cold as death, they have no breath, it's good to eat_!"

As they rounded the corner they saw Gollum silhouetted on top of a rock in the middle of a small lake. He was singing cheerfully as he continued to beat the goblin's body. He smashed it in the head again with a rock he had picked up.

Seeing the glow of Bilbo's sword made Gollum look up. Bilbo and Allie quickly hid behind a rock, realizing that Bilbo's sword was still glowing brightly. After a few seconds the sword's light started to flicker, and then completely died out. Realizing that only mean one thing Allie shared a horrified look with Bilbo. The goblin had to be dead.

Cautiously Allie peeked out from behind the rock and saw that Gollum was no longer there which caused to slightly panic. If he wasn't there then where had that scary creature run of to?

Allie went back. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw how Gollum was sitting on the rock above them. He then leaped down in front of them.

"Bless us and splash us, Precious. Those two will make a meaty mouthful," he chirped as if someone had just handed him a few plates of dinner.

As Gollum approached them Allie pulled out her daggers and aimed them at him. He then went at Bilbo, but Bilbo placed the point of his sword against Gollum's throat, causing him to retreat in fear. It shrieked and gagged in protest.

"Back. Stay back!" Bilbo ordered nervously. He clearly had never done this before. "I am warning you to not come any closer."

"They both got an elfish blade, but they're not Elfs. Not an Elfs, no," Gollum cried out. "What is it, Precious? What is it?"

Allie was beginning to wonder if this creature was even in the right state of mind. No normal person would talk and act like he would and it made her feel unease. Still Gollum wasn't bigger than she was and Allie knew that she could easily kill it if it got in their way.

"My name is Bilbo Baggins," Bilbo then answered.

Gollum's enormous blue eyes widened. "Bagginses? What on earth is a Bagginses, Precious?"

"We're hobbits from the Shire," Bilbo said.

He then turned his head at Allie. "And what about the girl, Precious?"

"It doesn't matter who I am," Allie replied agitated. She wasn't in the mood for conversations with this creature. She simply wanted to find a way to get out of here and not to be delayed. The company could be in danger with all those goblins out there.

"Little flower isn't very nice, no," Gollum cried out. Flower? Allie narrowed her eyes at the name that he gave her, but said nothing of it. "Oh! We've eaten lots of things in life before like goblinses, fishes and batses. We hasn't tried hobbitses before. Is it soft? Is it juicy?"

As Gollum approached again, Bilbo held out his sword in front of him and widely waved it about. "Now, now, k-keep your distance! I'm not afraid to use this if I have to!" Bilbo promised. Gollum snarled at Bilbo, causing him to take a step back. "We don't want to cause any trouble. All you have to do is show us how to get out of here and we'll be on our way."

Gollum almost smirked. "Why, are you two lost?"

"Yes, we are," Allie pretty much growled. "We simply want to get unlost as soon as we can."

Upon hearing this, Gollum answered in a different voice than he had used before. This confused Allie and she wondered how many personalities this creature had.

"Ooh! We knows! We knows safe path for hobbitses to get out of here. Safe paths in the dark!" he said with a higher voice. Then his face fell and he frowned when he had realized what he had said. "Shut up."

Bilbo looked puzzled. "We didn't say anything."

"Wasn't talking to you," Gollum barked back in annoyance. Allie shared another fearful look with Bilbo. "But we was, Precious. We was."

"Look, I am in no mood to play games, but -" Bilbo began but he was cut off.

"Games? Did he say games?" Gollum exclaimed happily. "We do love playing games, doesn't we, Precious? Do you like games? Do you like to play? Do you?"

Both Allie and Bilbo weren't too sure how to reply to this.

"Maybe?" Bilbo answered doubtfully.

Gollum l held up his hands and then began to recite a riddle that he knew well. " _What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?_ "

Luckily this riddle wasn't a very challenging one and Bilbo knew the answer to it. "...The mountain."

Gollum began to laugh uproariously. "Yess, yess. Oh, let's have another one, eh? Do it again. Ask us!" He then changed his mind and grew angry once more. "No, we've had enough of riddles. Finish them off I says. Finish them now! Gollum! Gollum!"

Gollum snarled. He started to rush at Bilbo and Allie to kill him, but this time Allie held out her dagger to stop him and began to speak. She had thought of an idea to get out of here. "No, there's no need for that. We want to play. I can tell that you are very good at this," she said.

"Nice flower," Gollum muttered at that.

"I have an idea. Why don't you and Bilbo play a game of riddles? I know the two of you are equally good at this so this should be interesting. It's just going to be the two of you," she suggested. Allie gazed up at Bilbo and he nodded in understanding.

Gollum scuttled forwards to Allie, whispering excitedly. "But what about you, little flower? There are two hobbitses and I'm only alone. Aren't we, Precious?"

"I know about that. To make things fair I will take no part in this game," Allie clarified. "I will only make sure you two aren't cheating, because if you are cheating I will kill you."

That clearly satisfied Gollum. "Yes! Yes, so just me and Bagginses?"

"Yes, just us," Bilbo assured him. "And if I win, you have to show us the way out of here."

"Yes, yes," Gollum said. His big eyes widened as he snarled. "And if it loses? What happens then?" He was arguing with himself again. Allie couldn't imagine how tiring that must be. "Well, if it loses, Precious? Then we will eats it!"

Gollum laughed to himself and then turned back to Allie and Bilbo.

"If Baggins loses we eats it whole, and little flower has to stay with me," he suggested. He was looking incredibly smug with himself as if he was doing a very just suggestion.

There was a pause for several seconds while Bilbo looked at Allie to see if she thought the same about this as he did. They desperately needed to get out of here and they had to risk it. There was a chance that they could win this.

"That only seems fair," Bilbo answered as he stood up.

Allie mustered a small smile, clasping her tiny hands together. "Well, then," she said. "Let this game of riddles begin."


	13. Riddles in the dark

**Chapter 13: Riddles in the Dark**

Allie exhaled deeply, hoping that this would all go well and that they would make it through this situation alive. Slowly she looked at Bilbo. "Well, Bilbo will go first," she said.

Gollum didn't argue with that and he eyed Bilbo interestedly, curious about what he was going to come up with. As Bilbo thought of a good riddle, Gollum rested his hands and chin on the edge of a rock.

" _Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still_ ," Bilbo recited. Allie was glad that she had chosen Bilbo for this because she was horrible with riddles and she hardly ever knew the answers to those things. She was simply too impatient to think logically. Bilbo was definitely more skilled with these things.

While Gollum thought of an answer, he kept opening his eyes and mouth as if he knew the answer and then changed his mind. This went on for a couple of seconds until he finally replied questioningly.

"Teeth?" Gollum asked. Bilbo looked unhappy with his answer because that was correct. Gollum became ecstatic and laughed throatily. "Teeth! Yes, my Precious! But we-we only have nine!" Gollum opened his mouth to display that he did have only have nine teeth. Both Bilbo and Allie were disgusted with this.

"Right then," Allie muttered, rubbing her temple. "You're next, Gollum."

" _Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters_ ," Gollum recited his next riddle. As he did so he moved closer and closer to Bilbo, who tried to keep a large rock between the two of them.

Allie had to admit that this riddle was more challenging than his first one and even Bilbo had to agree with that. He raised his finger. "I need a minute."

As Bilbo walked off in deep thought, Gollum's evil face was replaced by his more cheerful, excited version. "Oh, Oh!" it exclaimed. "We knows the answer! We knows!"

"You're not allowed to answer that," Allie reminded him, crossing her arms.

Gollum didn't seem to have heard her. "Shut up," he said to his other self and Allie chose to ignore it.

While Bilbo observed the water, he noticed tiny waves forming as a breeze ruffled the surface of the water. "It's wind," he called out. "Of course it is."

By the way that Gollum snarled Allie figured that this answer was correct. Gollum began slinking around, approaching Bilbo in rage. "Bagginses is very clever. So clever."

As he got too close for comfort Allie intervened and stepped between them, her dagger pointed at Gollum. "You best keep your distance and follow the rules," she warned him. "If you try to come this close again I won't hesitate to kill you. I am a woman of my word."

Gollum snarled again. "Little flower is being mean to us," he cried out.

Allie shook her head. "No, I am only being fair. You have to stick to the rules and you aren't allowed to kill Bilbo whenever he answers something right," she enlightened and Gollum stayed quiet. Allie turned her head to look at Bilbo, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's your turn. You'll think of a good one."

Bilbo gave her a smile as he recited his next riddle. " _An eye in a blue face,_  
 _saw an eye in a green face. That eye is like to this eye, said the first eye. But in low place, not in high place._ "

Allie didn't recall hearing this riddle ever before and it seemed that Golum hadn't either. He was shushing them. He had been living underground for such a long time that it was difficult for him to come up with an answer. He was quiet for a little while that both Allie and Bilbo had started to hope that he didn't know this one, but Gollum proved them wrong. He was bringing up memories from his past, but he did know the answer. "Sss, ssst, my Precious," he said. "Sun on the daisies, it means, it does."

Allie exhaled sadly that he had guessed this correctly. "Your turn to ask a riddle."

Gollum growled as he recalled his next riddle. " _It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind starts and under hills, and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter_." He was sitting on top of a boulder now.

Allie was a bit stunned by his grimness of his riddle which gave her some chills.

Unfortunately for Gollum Bilbo had heard that sort of thing before, and the answer was all round him anyway. He flashed Allie a bright smile . "Dark," he said convinced without even having to scratch his head.

Allie had to admit that she was impressed with Bilbo right now. "You're doing really good," she complimented him quietly, so that Gollum didn't hear. "I had no idea you were this talented with riddles. You seize to amaze me, Bilbo." At that Bilbo's smile only enlarged. "Your turn." The last part she said somewhat harder.

"Ah, _a box without hinges, key o-or, or lid; yet golden treasure inside is hid,_ " Bilbo said his own riddle.

Gollum was thinking hard, talking to himself and making many hand motions. "A box...and a lid...and then a key," he muttered.

"Well?" Bilbo asked, wanting to hear an answer.

Gollum growled. "It's nasty, Precious."

"Do you give up then?" Allie queried hopefully. If he would give up that meant that they at least would get out of here and that was all that she wanted.

"You must give us a chance, Precious! Give us a chance!" Gollum cried out. In frustration, Gollum began pounding on the floor and snarled some more. He puckered his face up deeply, and then suddenly opened his eyes wide as he got the answer. "Eggses! Eggses it is!" He laughed manically. "Who doesn't love crunchy little eggses, yes. Our grandmother taught us to suck them, yes."

Gollum took a few steps closer again, and Allie only glared at him which made him back down. " _Alive without breath, as cold as death; never thirsty, ever drinking, all in mail never clinking_." He didn't seem too pleased with the riddle that he had chosen, for he had thought it to be an easy one. At the moment Gollum couldn't think of anything better, because the egg question had flustered him.

Sadly enough for Bilbo it was a poser, who had never had anything to do with water if he could help it. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat once or twice as he thought hard, but no answer came to him.

Allie pitied Bilbo for she wasn't able to answer this riddle for him. That would count as cheating and she was a woman of honor. That's why she said nothing and watched Bilbo struggle in silence, hoping with all her heart that Bilbo would think of the answer soon.

After a while Gollum began to his with pleasure to himself. "Is it nice, my Preciouss? Is it juicy then, little flower? Is it scrumptiously crunchable?" He began to peer at Bilbo out of the darkness.

"Half a moment," Allie said, shivering. "Back there Bilbo gave you a good long chance. It's only fair that you do the same."

Gollum wasn't satisfied with her interference. "It's not very fair, little Flower. You're picking Bagginses his side."

Allie was perplexed. "I do not," she countered fiercely. "I've only been fair and just to make sure this goes according to the rules. You have to wait and be quiet."

"No! It must make haste. Haste I say," Gollum disagreed and began to splutter across the land they stood on. His long webby foot touched the water and a fish jumped out in fright, landing on Bilbo's toes.

This was enough for Bilbo to think of the just answer and he threw the fish back into the lake. "Fish. Fish," he said positively. "The answer is fish!"

Allie could only smile proudly at Bilbo for coming up with the right answer and he returned it. "You can say your riddle now then," Allie said. There was still a chance that Bilbo would ask Gollum a difficult riddle that he wouldn't guess.

Bilbo nodded. " _No-legs lay on one-leg, two-legs sat near on three, legs, four-legs got some_ ," he said. It wasn't the best riddle he had ever done, but he was in a hurry. He hoped that Gollum would have some trouble guessing it.

Despite the fact that Gollum was incredibly terrifying to be around with, he was no fool and he guessed the answer quickly enough to Allie and Bilbo's dismay. "Fish on a little table, man at table sitting on a stool, the cat has the bones," he said proudly.

"Right then," Allie sighed, growing tired of this. "Your turn."

Gollum didn't have to think long of a good one and this was what he said, " _This thing all things devours: birds, beasts, trees, flowers: gnaws iron, bites steel; grinds hard stones t meal; slays king, ruins town, and beats high mountain down._ "

Poor Bilbo sat there in the dark thinking of all the horrible names of ogres and giants he had ever heard of in tales, but not one of them had done all those things. The answer had to be quite different and he ought to know it, but he was able to think of it. He saw that while he sat there Allie was trying to keep Gollum under control so that Bilbo was able to think without being disturbed.

Gollum was coming closer to Bilbo, spluttering as he went. Allie stood before him, looking fearless. "I wouldn't come closer if I were you," she warned him. "You have to stay there and give Bilbo some time."

 _Time!_

Bilbo was saved by luck that Allie said that because that of course was the answer to this riddle and she hadn't realized that she had said that. "Time! Time!" Bilbo said with a sudden squeal.

Of course Gollum was disappointed once more and was getting angry, and also tired of this game. Most of all it made him very hungry. Without the others noticing he grabbed a nearby rock and held it behind his back as he sat down in the dark beside Bilbo, while Allie kept a close eye. This made the hobbit most dreadfully uncomfortable and scattered his wits.

"It's got to ask uss a question, my Precious. Yes, Yes! Just one more question to guess, yes," suggested Gollum.

Bilbo looked in fright at Allie, not knowing if that would be right. Allie licked her lips and nodded. "It seems fair I guess," she said. "Bilbo is to ask you a difficult question and you are to guess it. If you guess wrong you have to show us the way out of here."

But Bilbo simply couldn't think of any question. It was hard to come up with something good with Gollum sitting so close to him, and pawing and poking him. Bilbo scratched the back of his head, hoping to come up with anything, but it seemed pointless.

"Ask us!" Ask us!" Gollum cried impatiently.

"Be quiet you," Allie ordered him and the nasty, wet cold creature obeyed.

Bilbo pinched himself and even slapped himself. His hand then went into his pocket and he felt something. Here he found the ring he had picked up earlier in the passage and had forgotten about it completely.

"What have I got in my pocket?" he said aloud. He was talking to himself, but Gollum thought he was directing the question to him and that this was his final question. He was frightfully upset.

"That's not fair at all. It's against the rules!" Gollum cried out and in frustration he threw down the rock he'd been clutching. "You have to ask us another one."

Allie's mouth fell agape. "The only thing that's not fair is that you intended to use that rock as a weapon," she pointed out, trying to stay reasonable. "Bilbo was to ask you a question and he did just that."

"Yes, you said 'ask me a question.' Well, that was my question. What have I got in my pocket?" Bilbo asked. Allie wasn't so sure what this riddle meant from Bilbo and what he was playing at, but Gollum seemed to go along with it.

Gollum jumped off his rock and approached Bilbo and Allie. Bilbo moved to keep a rock between him and Gollum.

"Three guesses, Precious. It must give us three," Gollum insisted. He held up two fingers to quantify three and Allie could only smile at that.

"That's only fair," Allie agreed. "You can guess away."

"Handses!" Gollum guessed.

Bilbo pulled his hand out of his pocket just in time and Allie was relieved that Gollum hadn't seen that. "Wrong, guess again," Bilbo said.

Gollum crouched on the floor, trying to think of the answer. He muttered potential answers to himself and slapped the floor in increasing anger and ferocity as he fails to come with the right answer. "Fish-bones, goblin's teeth, wet shells, bat's wings... Knife!" he then said out louder which was his second guess. "Shut up! Oh!"

"Wrong again. Last guess," Bilbo said.

Allie anxiously bit her lip as she awaited what Gollum was going to say next. If he would guess wrong now that meant that they had won and that he had to get them out of here. They were so close to winning this.

"String!" Gollum cried out. He turned around. "Or nothing."

"That were two guesses at the same time," Allie pointed out, frowning.

"They were wrong both times," Bilbo responded.

Upon hearing this, Gollum fell to the floor, sobbing. Allie was somewhat touched to see such display of sadness on the creatures face for losing, but it was their only choice.

"You promised that you would show us the way out of here. Bilbo won the game," Allie reminded him instead.

Slowly, Gollum turned his head to them. "Did we so? Did we say so, Precious?" He was now angrily glaring at Bilbo. "What has it got in its pocketses?"

Allie had to admit that she was kind of curious about the answer as well, but she said nothing about it. She was sure that Bilbo would tell her in the end.

"You lost, so that's no concern of yours," Bilbo pointed out.

"Lost? Lost?" Gollum repeated. "Lost?"

He grinned as he slowly approached Bilbo and Allie, planning to kill them. He reached for something hidden at his side, realizing that the item isn't there, his face registered his shock. He began groping all over himself in the hope to find it.

"Where is it then? No! Where is it? Ah no! No, my Precious!" he cried out in pure agony and fear.

Gollum scuttled around the cave, scattering bones and rocks on the ground as he searched in vain for the thing that he lost. He even splashed through the shallows of the lake. It was at that moment that Allie realized what he had lost. It was the ring that Bilbo had put in his pocket earlier, she had seen him place it there. Gollum had no idea that Bilbo had it.

His voice broke as he cried. "Lost! Curses and splashes, my precious is lost!"

While Gollum had his back towards them Allie looked at Bilbo and saw that he too had realized about the ring. He quickly took the ring from his pocket and held it behind his back.

"What did you lose then?" Allie asked instead, trying to be polite. "Perhaps we can help you look for it."

"You mustn't ask us! That's not your business, no!" Gollum shrieked in return. "Gollum. Gollum."

Gollum, leaned over the edge of the lake, was sobbing quietly. As he stared into the water, his sobs ceased and his face became contorted in anger. "What has it got in its nasty little pocketetses, then?" he asked through gritted teeth, realizing that there was a possibility that Bilbo had his ring.

In fear of this all, Bilbo clutched the ring behind him more tightly while Allie pointed her dagger at Gollum who slowly looked up at them in shock and anger. At first he whimpered, then he got louder until he was roaring.

"They stole it," he said softy in complete distaste. "Little flower and Bagginses played me. They stole it!"

Snarling, Gollum threw a stone at Bilbo who deflected it with his sword. He looked at Allie before they run away with Gollum chasing them, deeper into the mountain.


	14. That's home

**A reminder that I'm not abandoning this story. Unfortunately I'm not writing this story as fast as I would've liked due to personal reasons, but I'm giving it my best. I can promise you that I will finish this story eventually, it's just going to take some time. Lately I've been writing more at this fic so I feel like the next chapter will come sooner. Anyway a very Merry Christmas to you all! I do hope people are still reading this story. Thanks for everything.**

 **\- Milou Lilly**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: That's home**

Not knowing where to go to Bilbo and Allie ran wherever the path leaded them to. Allie was able to hear Gollum shrieking and spluttering right behind them and she didn't think it would end good if he caught up with them. They simply had to find a way to get rid of him, but that created a problem. Since they didn't know where the exit was they had to keep Gollum alive.

"Where are we going?" Allie asked unsure while they kept running, not thinking of slowing down.

"I have no clue," Bilbo called back. "I am not familiar with the way here. The only way I know is forwards."

"That's not the wisest choice. We could get lost deeper inside the mountain," Allie said.

"But what about the company? They are still somewhere inside with all those goblins," Bilbo reacted. "They need the help."

"You're right. They do," Allie agreed. "All we can do right now is trying to find a way out of here of to find the company. I don't know where neither are."

Allie was desperate to get out of here. Having being stuck inside this mountain was making her weary. She had been awake for so long and hadn't had the chance to rest in hours now and her body was aching more with every step that she took. Still felt a fire burning inside her that kept her going, not wanting to give up.

"Come on. We can try this way," Allie suggested, leading Bilbo along with her.

They took another turn which leaded them to a smaller path. It went into a side cave and they saw Gollum running past the entrance of the cave they were in. Allie gasped as she turned around and tried to run through a crack in the wall. She got through it quite easily. As she was there she saw that Bilbo was not so lucky and was stuck partway through.

She heard Gollum coming closer from the other side and used that to grab hold of Bilbo's arm, trying to pull him out of there and towards her. It wasn't very successful. Since Bilbo was pretty stuck she had to pull quite hard to get some movement in him.

Allie wasn't able to see what happened on the other side of the crack, but she did hear Gollum snarling as he got closer. "It's ours I tell you. Ours!"

He snarled again. Bilbo exhaled as Allie pulled as hard as she could, and managed to slip through the crack, causing his waistcoat buttons to get ripped off in the process. Some of them hit Gollum in the face. They heard him snarl.

They had a small breather as they stood there together in the small cave. It was there that Bilbo got the golden ring from his pocket and expected it in the dim light that shone through the cracks.

"Can't believe he'd make such a fuss over such a ring," Allie commented, frowning slightly.

"Me neither," Bilbo muttered. The ring felt very cold as it quietly slipped on to his groping finger.

There was a hiss behind them. They turned around and saw Gollum's eyes like small green eyes coming closer to where they were standing. Terrified they tried to run away, but since the cave they stood in was so small they had no chance of fleeing. Gollum had them trapped.

Bilbo then slipped on something and fell flat on the ground with his sword underneath him. Allie was grasping his shoulders as Gollum leaped onto them. There was no chance for them to do anything because Gollum passed them, taking no notice of them, cursing and whispering as he ran.

Allie helped Bilbo back onto his feet as she pondered about what they had just happened. "Why didn't he see us?" Allie asked quietly in case Gollum could overhear them. "He was right there."

"I'm not sure," Bilbo replied in confusion. "I have a feeling this ring has something to do with it."

Allie could only frown her brows deeper at that. "Are you trying to imply that this ring that you're wearing is making us invincible?" Because Allie was still holding onto Bilbo's shoulder they were touching and the ring that Bilbo was now wearing seemed to have a strange effect on both of them.

"It seems like it, but I cannot say that for certain. We have to remain cautious," Bilbo said, taking Allie's hand who looked alarmed. "Sorry. I-I uhm. It's that I think the ring only works on both of us if our skins touch."

Allie had was incredibly exhausted and right now magical rings didn't sound so strange anymore so she assumed that there was some truth in what Bilbo said.

"Alright, I guess that's fine. What do we do next?" she wondered.

"We follow Gollum," Bilbo explained. "Perhaps he is heading towards the exit and in that case we have to follow him. It can be our only way out of here."

Allie couldn't argue with that and nodded understandingly. "I'll be with you." At that she and Bilbo shared a fond smile with each other. They then turned around and headed in the direction they had seen Gollum run off to a few minutes ago.

"Curse it! Curse it!" Gollum hissed angrily as they got closer to him. "Curse the Bagginses! Curse the little Flower! They're gone! And what has he got in its nasty pocketses? Oh, we can guess. We guess, my Precious. He's found it, yes he must have. My birthday-present."

Unsure about this ring actually working Allie and Bilbo tried to get closer, their feet barely making any sound on the ground. They hurried a little, getting as close as they dared behind Gollum, who was still going swiftly, not looking back. He only turned his head from side to side as they saw from the faint glimmer on the walls.

"My birthday-present! Curse it!" Gollum cried out again. "How did we lose it, my Precious? Yes, that's it. When we came this way last, when we twisted that nassty young squeaker. That's it. Curse it. It slipped from us, after all those long ages and ages. It's gone! Gollum!"

Allie was perplexed by what she heard. It meant that he had taken the life of the previous owner of the ring, before he took the jewel from him and fled into the mountains. She felt sorry for the fate of that poor soul, who died such a pointless death. At this moment Allie really wanted to get out of here, and be with her family and friends. She could only hope the goblins had spared their lives so far.

Suddenly Gollum sat down and began to weep, which was a whistling and gurgling sound. It was simply horrible to listen to. Allie raised her hand and halted Bilbo, as they flattened themselves against the tunnel wall. After a few minutes Gollum stopped crying and began to talk. He was having another argument with himself.

"There's no point going back there to search for it, no. We doesn't remember all the places we've visited. And it's no use. The Bagginses has stolen it and has got it in its pocketeses, we'd says."

"We guess, Precious, only guess. We only have to find the nasty creature and little flower, and squeeze them. But they doesn't know what the present can do, does it?" No, he'll keep it in its pocketes. It doesn't know about it, and they can't go far. They've lost themselves, the filthy thieves. They said they doesn't know the way out of here!"

"They said so, yes! But it's tricksy. It doesn't say what it means. It won't say what it's got in its nasty pocketses. It knows. They played us. They found a way in, it must know a way out, yes. It's off to the bag-door, I tell ya. To the back-door, that's it."

"Then the goblinses will catch them then. They can't get out that way, Precious."

"Sss, sss, Gollum! Goblinses! Yes, but if they've got the present, our precious birthday present, then goblinses will get it, Gollum! They will find it, they will find out what it can do! We shan't ever be safe again, never, Gollum! If one of the goblinses will put it on, and then no one will see them. He'll be there, but not seen. Not even our clever eyeses can notice them, and he'll come creepsy and tricksy and catch us, Gollum, Gollum!"

"Let's stop talking then, Precious, and make great haste. If the Bagginses and little Flower has gone that way, we must go quick and see. Go! It's not far now. Make haste!"

With a leap Gollum got up and started shambling off at a great paste. Bilbo and Allie hurried after him, still cautiously.

Gollum's words had confirmed what they had already assumed. The ring they had found truly was a magical ring and it made you invisible if you wore it. It was even able to make another person invisible as long as they were touching skin, but Gollum didn't seem to know about that. It was surprisingly handy that they were able to move about without risking being seen. That made it easier for them to sneak up on Gollum.

On the three of them went, Gollum spluttering ahead, hissing and cursing. Allie and Bilbo kept a careful distance and tried to go as softly as a hobbit could go. Soon they came to places where, as Bilbo had noticed on the way down, side-passages opened, this way and that. Gollum began at once to count them.

"One left, yes," he began. "One right, yes. Two right, yes, yes. Very good. Two left, yes, yes." And so on and on.

As he counted he slowed down and he began to get shaky and weepy, for he was leaving the water too far behind, and was getting somewhat afraid. Without his ring Gollum was quite vulnerable and there might be goblins about. He had to treat carefully for that reason.

Finally he stopped by a low opening, on their left as they went up.

"Seven right, yes. Six left. Oh, yes, my Precious," he whispered. "This is it. This is the way to the back-door. Yes, it it. Here's the passage."

Allie had her dagger in her free hand while Bilbo had his own sword. They were still holding hands so it was impossible for Gollum to see them as they stood behind him. Gollum quickly hid behind a rock. At that moment Gandalf and the dwarves ran past them, escaping through the exit. Realizing that they were all alive Allie sighed in relief. There was still only tiny problem. They had to get passed Gollum.

Gollum once again entered the tunnel, looking for Bilbo and Allie. Since they were still invincible he put his sword to Gollum's neck, then pulls back to swing the sword and cut off Gollum's head. Before he can swing, however, Gollum turned around, looking down the passageway behind him. He couldn't see Bilbo and Allie, but they could see him.

Bilbo placed the tip of his sword against Gollum's throat again, but he hesitated upon seeing Gollum's extreme sadness. It was at that moment that he realized that there was still something human about this creature. He was able to hear the words that Gandalf had said to him when he had got his sword. "True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

He also felt how Allie gave him a comforting squeeze in his hand. For a moment he had forgotten that she was there, but by the reassuring look on her face he knew that she felt the same about this as he did, and he knew what had to be done. They nodded at each other and took a deep breath while they stepped back a few feet. Hearing Bilbo and Allie's soft feet, Gollum frowned and began to growl. Allie and Bilbo ran forwards and leaped over Gollum, stepping onto Gollum's head and knocking him over in the process. Still invisible they ran out the exit.

Gollum jumped up and scrambled around him, trying to get the invisible Allie and Bilbo, roaring all the while. But he was able to get them. They had already gone. "Baggins! Little flower! You are filthy thieves! Curse it and crush it, we hates it forever!"

By now Allie and Bilbo had already exited and were surprised by the bright light of the setting sun. They had been underground for so long that it took them a while to get used to the sunlight that they had missed out on.

Since they had ran so much back in the mountain they decided to have a little rest to catch their breath. They would follow the company once they were able to breath properly again. Without thinking Allie pulled back her hand from Bilbo's grasp and felt her surroundings changing slightly. It all became clearer again and not as blurry. She wanted to look at Bilbo, but he still wasn't visible.

He took off his ring and it almost seemed that he had been there the entire time. Allie felt somewhat unease with this whole magical ring and it was going to take some time for her to get comfortable with it. It wasn't natural.

She put her discomfort aside and chose that moment to throw her arms around Bilbo's neck. Bilbo was astounded and froze at her touch, but after a few seconds his arms folded around her and he seemed to appreciate her sweet gesture.

"I wanted to say that you were incredible back there," Allie wanted to let him know. "It was incredible to witness. If it wasn't for your good riddles we never would've made it out there alive."

His chest vibrated when he chuckled. "You sure handled yourself well there with Gollum. Having you there sure gave me courage to keep going," Bilbo replied truthfully.

"Thank you. I am glad you're here, Bilbo Baggins."

"As am I, Allie Fairchild."

Allie then pulled back. She didn't want to scare Bilbo away by being too comfortable with him. He was a gentleman after all and they had only just met. She simply got carried away by her emotions from everything they had just experienced.

"We best catch up with the company," Allie suggested.

Bilbo scratched the back of his head. "Yes, you're right. We should." He took hold of her hand again as he slipped the ring on his other hand. Allie was a bit confused by that. "We can't risk being spotted by something. It's just until we're there."

Allie didn't get the chance to argue because they were already running down the mountain side.

Luckily for them the company hadn't gotten that far ahead and they were on gathered a few minutes away from the mountain exit. Gandalf was counting all the members and came to the realization that he was missing two of them. The dwarves paused to collect their breaths.

"Where's Allie? Where is Bilbo?" Gandalf wanted to know. "Where are our hobbits?"

By now Allie and Bilbo were close enough that they could hear what was being said.

"Oh, curse the Halfling! Now he's lost!" Dwalin cried out.

"And he took Allie with him it seems," Balin noticed.

"Wasn't our burglar with you, Dori?" Gloin almost yelled.

"No, he was not!" Dori countered. "I haven't seen him."

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf asked, growing impatient.

Nori fidgeted with his fingers. "I think that I saw him and Allie slip away when they first cornered us."

"What happened to them exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf demanded.

Allie had reached the point where she wanted to appear and tell everyone they were alright, but Thorin chose to talk.

"I shall tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He risked my daughter's life again. He thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone. I just want my Allie back. If she has been hurt I shall be avenged."

Hearing such painful words weren't pleasant to listen to and Allie gazed up at Bilbo. She could tell that this was effecting him, which was no surprise. All she could do was give him a small smile and at that she let go off his hand. Bilbo took off his ring and stuffed it in his pocket.

"No, he isn't," Bilbo said as he stepped out from behind the tree, no longer invisible. The dwarves looked up in shock and relief as Allie stood there at his side.

Gandalf laughed merrily as he spoke. "Bilbo Baggins! Allie Fairchild! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

Bilbo strode forward into the group, patting Balin affectionately on the shoulder.

Thorin rushed to Allie and wrapped his strong around her, pulling her against his broad chest. She felt him placing kisses on her forehead repeatedly. "Mahal, Allie, you scared the daylight out of me. I'd thought you gone."

"You have to try harder if you want to get rid of me," Allie teased, but she was immensely pleased to be back in her father's arms again. She had missed him during the time she hadn't seen him. It was just wonderful to be here with everyone again.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked them.

"How indeed," Dwalin muttered.

Allie retreated. There was an awkward silence as she and Bilbo tried to think of what to say next. In the end Bilbo gave a nervous laugh as he put his hands on his hips. Gandalf and Allie seemed to be the only ones to notice Bilbo sliding the ring into his waistcoat pocket.

Gandalf looked a bit perturbed. "Well, that doesn't seem relevant. They're both back and without being harmed! That's most important."

"It does matter!" Thorin disagreed. He still had his arm slung around Allie's shoulder. "I want to know why you came back with Allie."

Bilbo licked his lips, thinking of a proper answer that he could give. "Look, I am well aware that you doubt me. I know you've done so from the start and you have every right to do so. I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my seedcakes. And my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's my home," he said, thinking back of the Shire while he looked at Allie. "During the time that I've gotten to know you all, I've grown quite fond of everyone. And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you by Smaug. I know I'm only a simple hobbit and that I have no place to be here, but I will help you take it back if I can."

There fell a silence among everyone as the dwarves thought about what Bilbo had said. Gandalf smiled slightly, happy to see that Bilbo had changed so much in a positive way. He knew that Allie had a great influence on that.

"You are far more than a simple hobbit," Allie said, beaming proudly. Her blue eyes were shining with unshed tears. "It was you after all who saved me and got me out of the mountain, for which I am thankful." She knew well enough that Bilbo would think differently, but this was how she saw it.

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 **Maggiescousin: I'm trying my best even though it took some time for me to update again. I do hope the next chapter will come sooner than that. I've been writing more again lately. Thanks for the review and reading the story :)**

 **MIMIbaggins: Wow I am flattered that you've read everything so quickly and you liked it. Thank you for your kind words. That does make sense. English is not my first language so I'm doing my best to notice the mistakes. I do read the chapters before I post them, but I do not always see every mistake I make unfortunately. Hope that won't bother you. But once again, thank you for saying that!**


	15. Out of the frying pan

**Chapter 15: Out of the frying pan**

Thorin would never understand hobbits. True he had married one and his daughter was one, but that didn't mean that he had come to understand their bold spirit and the courage hidden underneath their skins. Perhaps one day he would understand why they were so different from the rest and so compassionate. For now that simply wasn't the case.

Meanwhile Allie was being pulled into a brief embrace by Balin who was in high spirit because Allie had returned to them in one piece. "What happened there in the mountain, lass? Why do you only have a few bruises?" he asked curiously.

Allie exchanged a quick look with Bilbo, wondering if she should be able to tell them the truth, and she did just that. They all wanted to know about their adventures after they had lost them, and Allie and Bilbo sat down and told them everything - except the finding of the ring. Bilbo told them in great detail about the riddle-competition, in which the dwarves were particularly interested. At their mention of Gollum they shuddered most appreciatively.

"Allie had told me to ask Gollum one final question and then I couldn't think of any other question with him sitting beside me," Bilbo went on, for he was quite a great storyteller. "So I said, 'What's in my pocket?" and he wasn't able to guess the answer in three times. So then me and Allie said: "what about your promise earlier? You are supposed to show us the way out of here!" But he came at us to kill us, and we ran and I fell over, and somehow he missed me in the dark. We then decided to follow him, because we heard him talking to himself. For some reason he assumed that we knew the way out, so he was heading for it. In the end he sat down in the entrance and we had to jump over him. And that is how we escaped and ran down to the gate."

Of course this created some questions amongst the dwarves. By now the sun had already set and the sky had darkened.

"What about the guards?" Fili asked them.

"Yes. Weren't there any?" Kili wanted to know.

"There were lots of them," Allie admitted. "But we managed to dodge them. Bilbo got stuck in a crave between two walls. I had to use lots of my strength to pull him through it because Gollum was approaching, and he lost some of his buttons in the process." Bilbo looked sadly at his torn clothes. "But he squeezed through it all right - and here we are."

The dwarves looked at him with quite a new respect. They were already familiar with Allie's bravery and charisma, but this was the first time they thought about Bilbo in the same manner. When he talked about dodging guards, jumping over Gollum and squeezing through, as if it hadn't been alarming or difficult.

"What did I tell you all from the beginning?" Gandalf said with a laugh. "Mr. Baggins has far more about than any of you guess." He gave Bilbo and Allie a stern look from under his bushy eyebrows. Allie couldn't help but wonder if he guessed about the part they had left out from their story.

Sadly enough their tale came to an end when they heard loud howling, which could only come from a warg. The entire company got onto their feet as they saw how a warg came down the slope, but was quickly joined by others. There were more wargs out there than there were company members. This didn't look good at all.

"Out of the frying pan," Thorin almost cursed.

"And into the fire," Gandalf finished for him. "Run!"

The company hadn't needed to be told twice, for they were already running as fast as they could there amongst the trees. They barreled down the hill. No one knew where they going, for they had no trail to follow from the Misty Mountains. All they could was go forwards into the nothingness.

The wargs gained in on them and they were able to hear their loud breading and their snarls as they got closer and closer to them. They had to come up with a solution or they would never make it out of here alive.

They reached a large outcropping and were surrounded by trees now and there was no other way for the company to go. They could see that they were quite close to the cliff, which meant that they were stuck here.

"Climb into the trees! All of you!" Gandalf ordered them.

Allie titled her head and saw how Bilbo was being enclosed by one warg. He had his sword drawn and the charging warg impaled itself in the head on the sword and fell down dead. Bilbo looked on in surprise by the first kill he had made.

"No time for this, Bilbo," Allie scolded him as she pulled out his sword from the warg and gave it back to him before she grabbed hold of Bilbo's arm. "We've got to go now!"

"They're getting close!" Bofur shouted in warming.

They went for a nearby three where a few other dwarves already were in. Allie placed her feet against the log of the tree and climbed against it. She got onto the lower branches and then leaned down to reach for Bilbo, trying to lift him onto rather he branch. Since he was climbing in the best way that a hobbit could that went easy. They then went higher in the tree so that there was no way for the wags bellow them could reach them.

The entire company was now high up in the trees and the wargs on the ground stood no chance of getting them. They all circled the trees, eyeing up at where the company members were perched. From where she was sitting Allie was able to see how Gandalf reached out with his staff and picked up a nearby moth. He brought it close to his face and whisper something to it. He then blew gently, causing it to flutter away. There was no chance for her to ask anything about it.

The wargs were still growling on the ground. Gandalf had no come up with the idea of throwing burning pine cones at the wargs which he lid with his magic. He passed them to other company members, who tossed them towards the wargs.

"Ouch!" Allie let out a little cry when one of those pine cones hit her in the back of the head. She turned her head and saw that it was Ori who had thrown it so miserably. First, she wanted to lash at him for being so tactless but it was sweet and innocent Ori. It was impossible to yell at him. "Try and throw from the wrist," she then gave as advice and demonstrated how that was done, causing the pine cone to land on a warg.

The fire scared the wargs, which gave them the perfect advantage to throw burning pine cows from the tree-tops. The dwarves began to cheer and whoop loudly at their success, thinking they had won.

Their victory was only short-lived. The tree, probably cracking under its many occupants, started to lean forwards to the nearby cliff, causing everyone to freak out. Some of the dwarves were even screaming as they held on to the branches. The further the tree went the louder those screams got. It stopped after a couple of seconds when it had stopped leaning at about a 180 degree angle. If they wouldn't do something fast they would all fall to their deaths.

Allie felt her entire body freeze when she heard a familiar scream. Her good friend Bofur had slipped from its branch and was falling. Allie had wanted to dive after Bofur so that she could grab him, but she was held back by Gloin. "No, lass."

As she looked she saw that Bofur was tightly holding onto Dori and Bifur, who were trying to lift the dwarf back onto the branch. "Don't you dare let him go!" Allie warned them, becoming fearful that would end in a catastrophe. She couldn't dare to lose her friend.

"I'm doing my best, Miss," Bifur grunted in Khuzdul. Allie felt somewhat useless that she wasn't able to help them out from over there. All she could do was watch fearfully.

"Gandalf!" Allie shouted then, drawing attention from the wizard. "They need your help. If you don't do something they will fall!"

She hadn't even finished her sentence or Dori and Bifur had accidentally let go, causing them to fall with Bofur. Allie let out a scream in utter panic as she watched them. What she hadn't expected was that Gandalf had lowered his staff at the last second and that the falling dwarves were able to hold onto that before they would drop on the ground.

Allie finally dared to breathe again, knowing that they hadn't fallen. Still the company was far from being saved. The tree was still leaned over far too much over the cliff, and it wouldn't be long before it would succumb to the weight completely and take them with them into the abyss.

They had to think of a way to get out of here. Allie couldn't risk losing any one of them. They were here family and she cared them for them all genuinely. The thought of losing one of them already caused her to become frantic, so this entire situation wasn't helping at all.

While Allie tried to check to see if all the dwarves were already she felt a pit of anxiety growing when she saw her father leaving the trees. He had his back towards them as he strode away with so much dignity. As Allie looked to where he was heading with his sword drawn her breathing haltered.

There on top of a boulder in the outstretch sat a pale orc on the back of a white warg. Allie hadn't been old enough to know the orc personally, but she had heard all the dreadful tales about this orc to know him. He had spread lots of fear amongst the dwarves during the battle of Azanulbizar. He had even slain her great-grandfather, by decapitating him.

Simply looking at this orc she knew that it was him the tales went about. But as Allie recalled correctly she thought that he had died during the battle because of the injuries her father had inflicted on him. All that she could see was that he had a metal hand where his normal hand was supposed to be. That and the scars of his face was all that reminded him of that battle.

"Who's that?" she heard Bilbo ask quietly beside her.

"That is Azog the Defiler," she said with such hatred and resentment in her voice. That orc was responsible for so much dead amongst her people. She couldn't understand how the pale orc had survived his injuries.

Bilbo looked somewhat confused and frowned. "Thorin said he had died."

"It seems that he was wrong."

The dreadful thing about this entire situation was that Thorin was facing the orc, trying to make up for failing to kill him the last time they had seen each other during the battle. Because of that ancient wrath, there was a lot of anger between them. It was obvious that they both were intended to kill the other.

"He's going to try and kill him," Allie pointed out in fear. Her father was all out there on his own.

"He stands no chance," Bilbo responded gravely.

Allie knew that Bilbo was right. Azog was in a fighting fit condition, where Thorin was exhausted from the lack of sleep. Plus he was filled with vengeance, which prevented him from thinking clearly.

"I have to get down there," Allie insisted as she saw how Thorin got closer to Azog.

"Allie, no," Bilbo pleaded. "He'll kill you too."

That didn't stop Allie. "That's something I have to risk. I have to stop this." She was already lowering herself down the branches, getting closer to the edge of the cliff. A few of the dwarves she passed on her way gave her a look of disapproval. Allie paid no attention to it. Instead she was transfixed on reaching the cliff without failing.

But her plan didn't work. She stopped when behind her Ori slipped from the branch and fell backwards. Allie could only reach forwards to grab hold of his lower arm. Because she had to lean forwards so much she almost slipped from the tree herself, and it was Dwalin who had to grab hold of her so that she wouldn't fall herself.

"I've got you, lass," he comforted in the best way that he could.

Allie was far from being reassured. Because she was the only one who was holding Ori, it was impossible for her to lift him back into the tree. She simply didn't have the strength for it in her arms. Besides she was still able to feel her injury throbbing painfully and she bit her lip.

"I can't do it," Allie cried out. "I can't lift him up."

None of the dwarves around here were able to offer her any assistance, for they couldn't come close enough to grab hold of Ori. That meant that Allie was on her own right now and she felt her fingers slipping.

"I've got him!" Oin then said out of nowhere and the old dwarf was able to grab Ori's other arm and together they carefully lifted Ori back onto the branch of the tree. Allie thanked Mahal that the dwarf hadn't plundered to his dead. The young dwarf still had so much to live for.

Slowly, Dwalin lifted her back onto the branch. Allie tilted her head and saw that Thorin was lying on the ground near Azog. One of the orcs stood above him with his weapon drawn, ready to end his life. Allie felt all the color fading from her face as she witnessed that. She wanted to get there, but there was no way that she would make it there on time.

The last thing that Allie suspected was that someone was heading towards where Thorin was lying and that person was no one else than Bilbo Baggins. Allie couldn't believe her eyes as she saw how Bilbo unsheathed his sword and took a deep breath before he ran and leaped himself onto the orc that was about to kill Thorin. What amazed her even more was how Bilbo managed to flip the orc around. He was leaning on him and used his sword top stab him in his abdomen, killing him in the process.

Clearly Bilbo was most astounded by his own actions, not thinking himself possible of doing such a thing until now. Allie was already getting out of the tree because she knew that Bilbo was going to need aid. The remainder or orcs had no aimed their attacks on him and he wouldn't stand a chance.

"We're with you, lass," Dwalin said as they stood on the edge of mountain side.

A few more dwarves had joined them, which gave them a better chance of fighting off the orcs. Allie was touched that she didn't have to face those orcs on her own and that the loyalty of dwarves overwhelmed her again. She smiled at the dwarves at her side which were Fili, Kili, Bofur, Nori, Bifur and Dwalin. They were only a few, but was better than nothing.

She fired an arrow which hit the orc nearest to Bilbo and caused him to fall down. Allie then grabbed her elven-daggers from her boots, twirling them in her hands before she broke down in a run to where the attack was about to happen. The dwarves had their swords drawn and began to fight against the other orcs.

Allie took care of the orc that had planned to take Bilbo's life and ended his before he could fight back. She then helped the Halfling onto his feet and addressed him a generous smile. "You truly are a wonder, Bilbo Baggins. Thank you."

As the dwarves continued to fight the orcs Allie used this opportunity to rush towards her father. He was lying there on the ground. Allie touched his face in her hands. "Thorin, come to me," she pleaded. His dull eyes met hers and for the faintest of a second she thought that he recognized her, but his eyes rolled back and his body went limp in her arms. She could see the injuries on his temple that Azog had inflected on him. "Stay with me, Khagam."

There was no reaction. Tears roamed down Allie's cheek and she had never felt so useless as in this moment. She knew very little about medicine and they were in no place for Thorin to get proper treatment. They were still under threat from Azog.

" _We're going to get through this_ ," she whispered encouragingly in Khuzdul. She wasn't going to let this crush her spirit. There was still a reason for her to keep fighting and Allie Fairchild was not a quitter. She was a Durin after all. And Durin don't flee from fights.

What happened next caused Allie to blink a couple of times, making sure that she wasn't imagining it. She heard a screeching sound from a bird and as she looked around her she saw several enormous eagles circling around the mountain. A few of the company members had already been caught by them. Allie knew that Gandalf must've been responsible for this. She remembered him telling her about his bond with Gwaihir the Windlord. He had once saved the Greatest of the Eagles from a poisoned arrow.

One of the eagles came towards them and cautiously took Thorin over from Allie by wrapping its talons around him, keeping him save. With that the eagle flew away, leaving her there.

At least that was what Allie thought. Another eagle surprised her by grabbing her from behind and taking her along with him. Once they soared above the cliff he dropped her and she landed on the back of another eagle. Feeling completely out of her element she softly took hold of the eagles feathers, hearing the bird squeak.

The eagle that she was sitting on its back of was the one who was still carrying Thorin's unconscious body in its talons. The dwarf king wasn't aware that they were flying so high and that was for the best. He was probably dead already.

Once the entire company had been captured by the eagles they finally flew away, leaving the Misty Mountains behind them. Allie was able to hear Azog roaring in protest at their fortunate escape. Allie hoped that would be the last they would ever see of the pale orc.

As she sat there all by herself Allie dared to let more tears flow in the fear of losing her father. She was able to hold them back any longer. She felt like a failure.


	16. I've never been so wrong in all my life

**Chapter 16: I've never been so wrong in all my life**

Even in her wildest dream Allie had never dared to imagine that she would be flying on the back of an enormous brown eagle. This eagle was bigger than several hobbit-holes that she had seen back in the Shire and she was simply fascinated by these magnificent birds.

Soaring on the back of an eagle truly was a wonderful feeling. Allie loved how the wind blew through her curly hair. It made her feel free and unbreakable, as if nothing could touch her up here.

For many hours she had sat there, holding onto some of the feathers of the eagle so that she wouldn't fall of. Occasionally the eagle would squawk to make sure that she was still there which gave her some reassurance.

Whenever Allie looked around her she saw that the rest of the company members were still seated of held by the nearby eagles. For many hours they had flown now and it was getting closer to dawn now.

The longer they flew the wearier that Allie grew. She couldn't recall the last time that she had slept and she was convinced that she must've looked like a complete wreck. But here high here up in the air that didn't seem to matter. As the sky got lighter Allie looked at the scenery on the ground so far below them and was stunned by how small everything looked from up here. They were so high up in the clouds.

The soft wind almost lulled Allie to sleep and she felt her eyes closing repeatedly. Whenever that happened she tried to stay awake and focused her attention to her father who was still in the eagle's talons. His head hung limp and his eyes were closed. She wasn't able to see if he was still alive from here and she prayed to Aule that he hadn't died due to his injuries.

There was nothing that she could do now besides waiting so that's what she did. She was able to stroke the back of the eagles head and he squawked once more. Her gaze then lingered to Bilbo who was sitting on the back of an eagle across from her. He gave her a small, encouraging smile which she appreciated. Even high up here he was being helpful.

Allie wasn't sure how long the flight went on, it could've been for hours. The sun had set when the eagles circled around a large rock that stuck out amongst the mountains. The eagle Allie had flown on gently placed Thorin on top of the rock and the dwarf still didn't move.

As the eagle lowered himself Allie was able to climb off its back. Not having used her legs for a while caused her to be a bit wobbly, but that faded quickly. She smiled at the eagle as he titled its enormous head and allowed her to scratch it. He let out another squeak before he flapped its gigantic wings and took off into the pink sky.

Allie then rushed to her father and saw that Gandalf was already sitting at his side and had his hand against Thorin's forehead. The wizard muttered an spell. Slowly, Thorin's eyes fluttered open and he gasped for air.

"Allie," he said weakly at the sight of his daughter.

Allie smiled happily because this meant that he was going to survive. She knelt beside him, sort of wrapping her arm around his neck as Thorin sat upright. "It is such a relief to see that you are alright," she whispered gratefully, trying not to squeeze him too hard.

"I will not leave you alone," he promised her in Khuzdul.

That only made Allie's smile larger. "Then I hope you keep your word."

As she slightly pulled back Thorin gazed up at the wizard who was eyeing them fondly. "The Halfling?" the dwarf asked.

"It's fine, Thorin. Bilbo is right here. He's rather safe," Gandalf assured him.

By now the other dwarves all had landed on top of the Carrock and they had surrounded the wounded Thorin. Allie and Dwalin helped Thorin up. However the stubborn dwarf shrugged them off as he approached Bilbo.

"What on earth do you think you were doing? You almost got yourself killed back there!" Thorin basically shouted in disagreement. "I told you that you would be a burden. Also that you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

The entire company was holding their breaths, fearing that Thorin would continue this lashing at poor Bilbo who deserved nothing of this. He had risked his life once more to save that of the others. He truly was the brave one.

Thorin advanced until he was face to face with Bilbo, who was looking more worried and frightened with the second. "I've never been so wrong in all my life!"

Thorin grabbed Bilbo and embraced him deeply. No one saw this coming but the other dwarves cheered loudly and slapped each other on the back at the process of the relationship between the two. Allie had the biggest smile possible on her face as she watched how Bilbo hugged Thorin back. She had never dared to imagine that her father would speak to Bilbo like that.

"I am truly sorry that I doubted you," Thorin said sincerely as he broke the embrace.

Bilbo was smiling by now as well. "No, you had every right to doubt me. I would've doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior, not even a burglar if I'm being honest."

Everyone around them chuckled the eagles flew away, screeching. Within a few minutes they were nothing more than tiny dots in the distance.

Thorin looked beyond Bilbo and saw something. His eyes widened and they all followed his gaze, their breaths taken by the sight that they saw.

"Is that what I think that it is?" Bilbo questioned.

In the distance, on the horizon, they saw the outline of a single, solitary mountain.

Without ever having seen it with her own eyes Allie knew well enough what this mountain was. It was her birthright. "Erebor," she said in admiration. This was where her roots had come from.

"The Lonely Mountain," Gandalf went on explaining. "The last of the great dwarven kingdoms of Middle-Earth."

"I hope to get a closer look with my own eyes at it someday," Allie said.

Thorin stood at her side, giving her a smile. "You will, Allie. You will see the halls of our fathers. You will see the glory and the wealth being restored to the mountain. It's going to be your home."

Allie did like the sound of having an actual home. Ever since she was little she had heard the tales and wonders of Erebor and to truly call that place as her own home was almost like a dream, but it was a nice thing to hold on to. This was what they were here for after all.

"I'd like that," Allie said quietly. "If we do succeed in taking Erebor from Smaug will the dwarves from the Blue Mountains join us?"

"Yes, everyone who wants to come us is welcome to do so," Thorin assured her. "Even Dis will be here." At the mention of his sister Thorin looked at his nephews.

"I do miss her," Fili admitted.

"Me too. It has been far too long since I've last seen her," Kili agreed.

"I do too. You will see her again," Thorin said optimistically. "We just have to reach the mountain first." He left out the part of them having to take care of a dragon, but no one said anything about it.

A bird cheeped loudly as it flew by. "It's a thrush!" Oin called out cheerfully. "The birds are returning to the mountain."

More birdsong was being heard.

"We will take that as a good omen," Thorin said.

Bilbo nodded. "It's a good sign. I hope that the worst is behind us."

Everyone seemed to hope the same thing and that the rest of their journey towards the mountain would be without any complications. Once they would reach Erebor everything would've been worth it. And they were getting closer.


	17. Large bees

**Chapter 17: Large bees**

Allie dipped her toe in the cold water, and felt a shiver running down her spine. For this time of the year the water was incredibly chill. Allie bit her lower lip and waded deeper into the water and after half a minute the cold didn't bother her much anymore.

Allie disappeared underneath the surface. There was a strong current in the water, but it wasn't enough to carry away and she simply floated near the shore. Her fingers ran through her red curls. Allie had taken off her travel gear and the only thing that she was still wearing was a large shirt which moved by the current.

The last time Allie had taken a proper bath was back in Rivendell and since then so much had happened that she felt incredibly filthy. Allie came up again and took a deep breath as her hands tried to scrub the filth and dirt from goblin town from her skin. Even though dwarves were being known for their lack of hygiene, Allie was convinced she took no part in that. She was fond of bathing and liked the feeling of being clean.

It was early in the morning and Allie stood there all by herself, separated from the rest of the company who was bathing further down the Anduin. They had given her some privacy because she was a woman, even though she didn't need it.

Because the company hadn't had a proper rest ever since they had left Rivendell Thorin had given them the chance to get some sleep and a bath, which was much appreciated. From where Allie was standing she was able to hear the cheerful laughter from the dwarves.

Despite that Allie wasn't able to wash herself with some soap she felt somewhat clean and refreshed from the water and it was better than nothing. Slowly, she got out of the water and reached a towel that she had brought with her in her pack. She used it to dry her hair, causing the drops to fall on the ground. Because her hair was so voluminous and wet it sort of lived its own life.

When Allie had dried herself she put on her travelling outfit that lay nearby. Because of everything that had happened in Goblin Town it had some tiny holes and was slightly worn out. Since she didn't have any new clothes with this had to do for now. It was better than having to walk across Middle-Earth in nothing but her skin.

Even her boots seemed to have been damaged by her adventure, but that didn't bother her. It was impossible to keep boots in good condition with everything that they were facing and she was sure that it would be much worse by the time they would reach Erebor.

Allie took in a deep breath, feeling the clean air in her lungs. The area around the Anduin was astonishing and she couldn't stop looking at the different wild flowers, bushes and trees that were all around her. Even the birds and the other animals seemed different than what she had seen in the West of Middle-Earth.

As Allie studied the flowers she followed the Anduin and she found the company behind a large boulder.

"Allie!" Kili exclaimed happily at the sight of his older cousin.

Most of the dwarves were bathing inside the river and it seemed that they were doing that exposed. At that Allie felt her cheeks redden and she refused to look anywhere but at the water.

"Allie! Look over here!" Fili went on.

Allie shook her head. "No, I'm good," she replied nervously. "I'll stay here."

Some of the company members had already finished bathing and were sitting on the shore of the river. Allie took her place next to Gandalf and Bilbo who were both enjoying a smoke of tabasco. The scent of it caused Allie's nose to scrunch, for she wasn't very fond of it.

"How did it feel to bathe again, Allie?" Gandalf asked her politely, feeling the need to make small talk.

She smiled fondly at the wizard. "It felt great to wash all that filth and dirt from my skin. It took a while before it was able to get it all gone."

He chuckled. "I'm sure it did. It will be a long time before you'll be able to have a good bath again."

Allie bit her lip. "I fear so too."

Gandalf blew out another smoke ring. "Do you fancy a smoke, lass? I've got a spare pipe with me."

She quickly shook her head. "No, please don't. Smoking is not for me."

"Do you want us to stop?" Bilbo questioned, lowering his own pipe. "I mean if it's bothering you." His auburn curls were damp, indicating that he had just been inside the river. He wasn't wearing his red waistcoat and had even undone his scarf, for it was surprisingly nice weather.

"It's fine, Bilbo," Allie reassured him. "Do enjoy your smoke."

There was splashing being heard from inside the Anduin and lots of laughter followed. Allie was sure that the remaining dwarves were playing a friendly game with one another, but she didn't dare to look. Instead her gaze was focused on her fingers, trying to prevent eye contact with the dwarves for now.

"I forgot to ask you before, but how is your arm coming along?" Gandalf asked her.

"It's still a bit stiff, but it feels better than a few days ago," Allie said honestly. "I just need have some good practice with it. I'm sure it will be fine then."

"Allie?" Bofur chirped, interrupting their conversation. "Are you not joining us, lass?"

"No! N-no, I cannot possibly do that," Allie protested, refusing to turn her head.

Bilbo quietly laughed beside her. "It's alright, Allie. They're only trying to push each other underwater."

"I had assumed it would be something like that. Still I don't prefer to do something like that when they're in such a state," Allie clarified wisely. "I'd best wait here for them to be done."

"I can understand that."

"Oh, Bilbo," Allie began, looking up to meet his friendly gaze. "I know that I already said it earlier, but I wanted to thank you again for what you did for my father. It was bravely done."

He smiled. "I had no idea what came over me. All I was that I wanted to help Thorin."

"And for that you are more courageous than you give yourself credit. I can assume that you never dared to imagine that you would be killing an orc by yourself when you left your door," Allie said.

"No, not at all. I would've laughed at the person who said it because it's not a hobbit thing to do."

"It seemed that you didn't need my training after all," Allie replied. "You were handling that orc well for someone who had never fought before."

"I guess this was just a spurt of the moment, Allie. I didn't know what I was doing. I do need your training," Bilbo made clear.

Allie smiled as she heard that, tugging a red curl behind her ear. "All in good time then. I will teach you."

They didn't talk any further because at that moment the rest of the dwarves came out of the water and Allie let out a yelp, for most of them were still in state of undressing.

"My eyes are burning!" Allie shuddered, covering her eyes behind her hands.

The dwarves were only laughing at her reaction.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Allie," Bofur roared with laughter.

"Very funny," Allie muttered dryly. "You've no idea how long it's going to take to get this imagine out of my head."

"Don't fret about it too much, lass," Balin said. "Eat some stew." He handed Allie a bowl of rabbit stew so that she wouldn't be paying attention to the dwarves. Allie appreciated the generous gesture and quietly ate the stew while she knew the dwarves put on their clothes where she couldn't see them.

"Where exactly are we heading to next?" Allie asked when some of the dwarves had returned, fully clothed.

"Mirkwood," Thorin answered, tugging on the sleeves of his shirt.

Allie continued to chew on some of the meat. "Mirkwood doesn't sound too good."

"I know, Allie. It's still a couple of days away from here, but it's the fastest way towards the lake."

"And what about the elves that live there?" Allie questioned. "King Thranduil isn't exactly fond of you. We don't know what he'd do if he found us trespassing through his land. He'd stop us. That I know."

"Why doesn't he like the dwarves?" Bilbo wondered. He had his pipe stuffed back into his pack.

Thorin looked grim. "Let's say that there is an ancient feud between our people." It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about the elf any further.

To make the matters worse Gandalf chose that moment to inform the company that he was leaving, which caused them to splutter in protest. "I have intended that I would lead you all safely through Mirkwood," he said. "But something has drawn my attention."

Thorin was glaring at him. "What can you possible mean? You were the mastermind behind this quest and who came to me to convince me to do this and now you're leaving?"

"The last thing I want is to leave you," Gandalf lamented. "But sadly enough there are matters that require my immediate attention."

"Is everything alright?" Allie questioned. "Will we see you again?"

"Yes, I will rejoin the company once I've attended these matters," Gandalf said.

The wizard was being all mysterious about this business of hers and it was obvious that the company were curious about it and why the wizard possibly had to leave them at such an unfortunate time.

"Can you tell us where you'll be going?" Fili queried, crossing his arms.

Gandalf realized that he had to enlighten them a bit for they deserved a fair answer. "When Radagast came to us the wizard told me that he had discovered some troubling signs of a necromancer being active in Dol Guldur. In Rivendell I attended the White Council and there were some concerning matters we disgusted. It's not right that trolls and orcs are venturing in new areas. There can only be one reason for that, a new darkness must be gathering somewhere in Middle-Earth." Gandalf lowered his pipe as his gaze became distant as he thought back of the memory. "I have no other choice than to go the source and end it before it's too late."

Necromancer? Everyone knew what such powerful beings could do and hearing a mention of such a thing could only mean bad things for Middle-Earth.

"I can't believe it," Allie said shocked. "A necromancer in Dol Guldur. Who knows how long he has been active there without anyone knowing?"

The only one who didn't seem to understand what a necromancer was, had to Bilbo and the Halfling looked confused. Bofur quietly began to tell him what it meant and when Bilbo knew the color faded from his face. "That sounds awful," he almost whispered.

"But if you leave us to face this necromancer, then how are we to face Smaug?" Balin questioned. "We had more advantage with a wizard at our side."

Gandalf seemed to understand. "I do hope to have rejoined you before that. I will be there at the slopes of Erebor before Durin's day," the wizard assured them.

"That gives us some time," Gloin said slightly reassured.

"Besides I am not leaving you all just yet," Gandalf said. "I cannot leave you without any supplies, so I have to ensure that you've got those."

"And where do we plan to get these supplies?" Dori asked. "There are no towns between the Carrock and Mirkwood."

Gandalf's eyes crinkled. "You are right about that," he said. "But there is someone who lives near the foot of the Carrock. We simply have to find him." This of course raised more confusion amongst the company members who weren't aware about this at all. Still Gandalf said no more about the matter for now. "I think it's time that we set out while we have the light."

* * *

The path near the foot of the Carrock wasn't the best one to walk across. In some places it stopped and it was replaced by large, flat stones on the ground that would lead them further across the fjord.

Allie was in her element. The birds were singing in the tree tops, the weather was warm and she was able to smell the scent of the wild flowers in the air. It was completely different than what she was used to seeing back at the Blue Mountains, which is why she could appreciate it much more

"This road is a pain in the bum," Oin grumbled as he tried to leap over those stones.

"Couldn't we have taken another route?" Kili questioned, who didn't seem to have much trouble which getting through the fjord.

"No, this is our route and it will have to do," Gandalf said determined. "This will lead us to where we need to go."

"And where is that exactly?" Thorin wanted to know.

Gandalf exhaled. "I am going to take you to meet a certain man. When i introduce you to him you all must be very polite," he clarified.

"What is so special about this man?" Allie asked, gazing up at the wizard. "Who is he?"

"His name is Beorn," Gandalf told them. "And he is a skin-changer."

Allie had heard tales about people who had the ability to change form, but she had thought them to have gone extinct ages ago. That seemed to be wrong information.

"What form can he take precisely?" Bilbo gaped.

"That of an enormous bear, my dear Bilbo," Gandalf said. "Sometimes he's a black bear, and other times he's a man. I wouldn't try and talk to him if he's a bear, but I do believe that we can be more fortunate when he's a man."

"Is he the only one?" Allie wondered.

The wizard nodded. "Sadly enough, yes. The rest of the skin-changers have perished a while back and Beorn is the last one of them."

Allie couldn't imagine how sad and lonely that must've been to see all of your kin die, but live on all by yourself. That was a horrible fate to be completely alone like that and she already pitied the man.

It became clear that the dwarves didn't seem too thrilled to meet a bear. They didn't know what this bear would be capable of. Still they knew that Gandalf wouldn't lead them to a man that would kill them.

The scenery around them changed somewhat and they were now walking along wooded area. By now it was the middle of the afternoon. There were great patches of flowers that had already begun to spring up, all the same kinds growing together as if they had been planted there by someone.

There was also the clover, waving patches of cockscomb clover, and purple clover, and white stretches of sort white sweet honey-smelling clover. Allie had to admit that it smelled amazing and she was looking around in awe.

There was a buzzing sound and a droning in the air. There were lots of bees that were busy everywhere and such bees none of them had seen anywhere before.

"If one of them stings me," Bilbo said aloud. "I'm sure that I'd swell up twice my size."

Allie chuckled beside him. "We won't want that. I don't think any of these bees mean any harm."

The bees were bigger then hornets. The drones were an awful lot bigger than your thumb, and the bands of yellow on their black bodies shone like fiery gold in the sunlight.

"We are getting near to our host," Gandalf informed them. "We are on the edge of his bee-hives."

* * *

 **It's almost time for Beorn to make his appearance and I'm rather excited. This is going to be a rather good part :))**


	18. A strange host

**Chapter 18: A strange host**

After a while of walking they came to an area of very ancient oaks and beyond these to a high thorn-hedge through which it was impossible to watch. The hedge was filled with lots of roses with the color of blood.

"You all better wait here," Gandalf said to them. "And when I call of whistle you may come after me. You can go the way I am going, but only come out in pairs. We don't want to overcrowd him. There should be about five minutes between each pair of you. Since Bombur is the fattest he counts for two, and he better come alone and last. Come on, Mr. Baggins and Miss Fairchild! You two come with me. There should be a gate somewhere round this way."

And with that he went off along the enormous hedge, taking Bilbo and Allie with him. While they walked Allie took her time taking in everything that she saw, feeling at ease as she did so. There was just something peaceful about this place that fascinated Allie.

"Is this a wise thing to do?" Bilbo asked skeptically and with a whisper so that only Allie could hear him.

"I am sure that Gandalf knows that he's doing," Allie replied with a hushed tone. "We best play along with his plan. I have to say that I am very curious to meet this man."

"Me too, but I am also a bit scared," the Halfling admitted truthfully.

Allie placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It will be fine, Bilbo," she comforted him.

After a few minutes they made it to a wooden gate which was high and broad. Beyond this they could see enormous gardens with a cluster of low wooden buildings. There were some unshaped logs; barns, stables, sheds and a long wooden house. At the southern side of the tall hedge there were rows and rows of bee-hives. The noise of the huge bees flying and buzzing filled the air.

"It must be amazing to call this place your home," Allie said in pure admiration.

"I am sure this man doesn't have any noisy neighbors like I do back at Hobbiton," Bilbo pointed out. Allie smiled fondly.

Allie and Gandalf were the ones who pushed open the surprisingly heavy gate which creaked as it moved. They then went down a wide track which went towards the house. There were some horses, which looked very well taken care of and well-groomed, trotted around the grass. When they took sight of the visitors they galloped toward one of the buildings.

"They will tell Beorn about the arrival of strangers," Gandalf told them as if that was a very normal thing.

"Of course they are," Allie muttered with a smirk.

They reached a courtyard which existed of three walls of which were formed by the wooden house and its two long wings. In the middle of it there was a great oak-trunk with many lopped branches beside it. Standing near it was a huge man with a thick black beard and hair. He had bare, muscled around and legs with knotted muscles. The clothing he wore was a tunic made of wool down to his knees, probably made from some of his own sheep. He was standing with the horses they had seen trotting off.

"Oh, there they are!" he said to his horses. "They don't seem as dangerous as you told me they would be. You can go back!" The man let out a deep rolling laugh and came forwards to the strangers. "Who are you and what do you want?" he asked in a rather grumpy manner. Allie noticed how tall the man was for he towered tall above Gandalf. Bilbo thought about trotting through his legs without having to duck his head.

"I am Gandalf," the wizard introduced himself.

"I've never heard of him," the man growled. "And who are these little people?" He took his time to frown down at the two hobbits with his bushy black eyebrows.

"That is Mr. Baggins, who is a hobbit of a very good and respectable family with a unimpeachable reputation," Gandalf said and Bilbo bowed, for he had no hat to take off. "And this here is Miss Fairchild. "She comes from an equally respectable family I might say, and she's a very special lass." Allie too, bowed, addressing the enormous man a shy smile. "I am a wizard," Gandalf went on. "I have heard tales of you, even though you might not have heard from him. Perhaps you did hear of my good cousin Radagast who lives near the Southern borders of Mirkwood?"

"Yes, I did hear of him. He's not a bad fellow as wizards go, I believe. I used to see him from time to time," Beorn said "Now, I know who you are. That leaves one question unanswered. What do you want from me?"

Allie was meanwhile petting one of the enormous brown dogs which licked the palm of her hand.

"To tell you the truth, we have lost our luggage and almost lost our way. We are in rather need of help. Or some advice would be welcome. We did have a rather unfortunate time with goblins and orcs back in the mountains."

"Goblins? Orcs?" Beorn asked. "You've been having trouble with them? What on earth did you go near them for? That is a silly thing do to."

"That was not our intention," Gandalf said. "They surprised us at night in a pass we had to cross. We were coming out of the lands over the west into these countries. It is a very long tale to tell."

"Then I suggest that you better come inside and tell me some of this tale of yours, if it won't take all day that is," the man said, leading them the way through a dark door that opened out of the courtyard into the house.

Following him they found themselves in a huge hall with a fire-place in the middle. Even though that it was summer there was a wood-fire burning and the smoke was rising to find an opening in the roof.

They went through this dim hall, which was only lightened by a small fire. They came through a small door and came out in a sort of veranda, which stood on wooden posts made of several different tree-trunks. It was facing towards the south and it was still warm with the light from the afternoon sun. It shone warmly on the garden full of flowers that surrounded it.

They all took a seat. Since Beorn was such a tall man his furniture was far too big for Allie and Bilbo. Their legs were dangling over the wooden benches they were sitting on. They exchanged an amused look with each other before they looked at the flowers in the garden, which were some they had never seen before.

"I was coming over the mountain with a friend of three," Gandalf began his tale.

"Or three? I can only see these two little ones," Beorn pointed out.

The dog that Allie had been petting before was now sitting next to her on the ground and was scratching the back of the dogs head as she listened to the tale.

"Well, to be honest with you, I do not want to bother you with the complete lot of us, until I found you were busy. I could call them, if that's alright with you," Gandalf said.

"Go on, call them!"

Gandalf gave a long, loud whistle and as expected Thorin and Dori came around the house near the garden path. They stood there bowing low before them.

"One or four you meant," Beorn said. "But these obviously aren't hobbits, they are dwarves!"

"Thorin Oakenshield, at your service," Thorin replied. "Allie Fairchild over there is my daughter."

But Beorn didn't seem to listen to it. "I am not interested in your service," the man said. "Since you are here I assume that you are in need of mine. Let me tell you that I am not fond of dwarves. If it is true that you are Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, and that your company is respectable, and that you are enemies of orcs and not planning any mischief on my property then you are welcome to have a seat." And so the dwarves sat down. "What are you up to anyway?"

"They are on their way to visit the land of their fathers, away to the east beyond Mirkwood," Gandalf told him. "We did not plan to come to your land at all, and it was merely an accident that we came here. We were crossing the High Pass, that should've leaded us to a road south of your country. That is when were attacked by wargs and orcs, as I was planning to tell you."

"Pray do tell me then," Beorn asked impatiently, who wasn't the most polite.

"We came across a terrible storm. There were huge stone-giants throwing rocks at each other," Gandalf told him. "We took refuge in a cave, the hobbits, and I and several of our companions..."

"Do you can three several?" Beorn interrupted.

Gandalf frowned. "No, not at all. There were more than three."

"And where are they then? Did they go home?"

Allie had to hide a smile because of how Beorn was reacting to all of this.

"No, not at all. They didn't all come when I whistled it seemed. I assume they must be shy," Gandalf said. "There is rather a lot of us."

"Just whistle for them already," Beorn growled. "I don't see how a few more dwarves make any difference."

So Gandalf whistled again. This time Nori and Ori were there already, the wizard had told to come out every five minutes.

"Hello there," Beorn greeted. Nori and Ori began to bow and greet the man, but Beorn interrupted them. "If I want your help I'll ask for it. Do sit down and continue with this tale of yours. It's getting dusk soon and I want to finish before that."

"As soon as we are asleep," Gandalf went on. "A crack appeared at the back of the cave. We fell down and goblins grabbed the hobbits and dwarves, and our troop of ponies -"

Beorn huffed. "A troop of ponies? Seems you are a little travelling circus then."

"There were more than seven ponies, for there were more than six of us. In fact here are two more!" Gandalf said. That moment Balin and Dwalin appeared and they too bowed respectfully.

Beorn simply nodded and frowned as they bowed. When they stopped he let out a deep, roaring laugh. "You were right about the troop it seemed," he said. "Do come in." Balin and Dwalin told their names and sat down on the ground. "Now, do go on."

Gandalf was a bit taken aback, trying to remember where he had last left of. "Right. I was not caught by the goblins and I killed a few of them wish a flash. It's good thing to be a wizard. I slipped inside the crack before it closed. I ended up in the main hall which was packed with goblins and even the Great Goblin was there. I wondered what thirteen people could do against so many goblins?"

"Thirteen!" Beorn cried out in disbelieve. "Are there still more of them out there, little Allie?" He addressed this question to Allie.

Allie looked up, her lips slightly parted. "Oh, yes. There should a couple of more."

Like that Fili and Kili appeared around the corner with huge grins plastered on their faces as they bowed. Beorn had enough of dwarves and bowing. "Do sit and be quiet. Continue with your story, Gandalf."

Gandalf cleared his throat and went on with the rest of his story, until he came to the fight in the dark and how they found out that Allie and Bilbo had been mislaid. "As I counted I find that our hobbits were missing. There were only fourteen of us left."

"Now wait just a minute," Beorin intervened. "Fourteen? You seem to have left some names out of your party then."

Allie tugged a red curl between her fingers "You haven't seen all of them yet." She figured out why Gandalf told the story this way. The continued interruptions only made Beorn curious to hear the rest. It was why he didn't send the dwarves away, for he wanted to know how the story would end.

Beorn laughed. "I like you, lass. Where are these others then?"

"Here they are," Gandalf said.

And then Oin and Gloin came round the corner, bowing and nodded. "Oi, yes. Let them come. Do sit down," Beorn said. "I seem to have one problem with your story, Gandalf. Even now we have eleven, plus two mislead, and not fourteen. Do wizards count differently to other people? Do go on with your tale." It was clear that the skin-changer was very bright and didn't like to be fooled.

Beorn was very interested in the tale and growled and nodded when he heard about the reappearance of the hobbit's, and how they were hunted down by the wargs and orcs. When Gandalf mentioned that the orcs were led by no one else than Azog the Defiler, Beorn's face fell as if the haunted memories came back to him.

"I know of Azog the Defiler," he said with pure hatred in his voice. "He was responsible for capturing all of my kin. Only I escaped."

"I'm sorry," Allie said sincerely. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to lose your kin, your entire family and having to spend the rest of your life all alone. That must be the worst thing any person could possibly go through and she wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"It's alright, little Allie," he replied, but he sounded touched by her words. "Do tell me more about this encounter with the Defiler."

And Gandalf did tell them about how they all had to climb into the trees with the wargs chasing them. "We threw burning pine cones towards the wargs, for they aren't too fond of fire. It scared them. Then the tree that us sixteen were in -"

"Oh, good heavens!" Beorn growled. "You were speaking of thirteen people before."

"Very true. Still I haven't introduced you to all of us," Gandalf made clear.

Then came Bifur, Bofur with Bombur puffing behind them. He was too impatient to wait all by himself and had decided to come with the rest.

"Well, now there are sixteen of you and we can go on with this story," Beorn said.

And Gandalf did and told them how they more about their encounter with the orcs and had told of how the eagles had come to rescue them and had brought them all the way to the Carrock. By now the story was finished and the sun had fallen behind the peaks of the Misty Mountains.

"I have to say that's a very interesting tale," Beorn said. "Can't remember the last time I heard such a good one. For such a story you all deserve supper. Let's have something to eat."

No one could disagree with such a good offer and the dwarves chimed in. "Thank you very much."

The hall they were sitting in had gotten quite dark. Beorn clapped a few times in his hands, and in came trotted four gorgeous white ponies, followed by several large, grey dogs. Allie heard Beorn say something in a strange language she didn't understand, like the sound animals would make to each other. Perhaps that was what it was. The man was a bear after all.

The animals went outside again and soon came back, carrying torches in their mouths, which they used to lit a fire in the hearth. The dogs carried things with their fore-feet, bringing it to the table near the fire. Allie noticed that it were boards and trestles.

Surprisingly enough more animals came in and once Allie had petted a sheep she knew that this wasn't very strange here at all. She would get used to animals doing daily jobs here very soon.

It were the animals who began to bring all the utensils, plates and the food to the table. This went on for at least five minutes and every time more food was being put down. After all this was the first time that Beorn had sixteen guests in his lodge.

When the animals were finished the company sat down around the table. The hall they sat in hadn't seen such a gathering in many years. The animals made sure everyone sat comfortably.

There they had a supper. It had been a long time since they had such a good meal since they had left the Last Homely House in Rivendell. The dwarves weren't complaining about that at all. At least here there was meat on the table, which was something you wouldn't see with the elves.

This time Beorn told them different kind of stories of the wild lands on this side of the mountains, and of the terrible forest of Mirkwood. The company listened to the skin-changer with great interest while they filled their bellies.

Of course hearing stories about the forest they had to venture in soon, caused Allie to feel somewhat unease. She hoped that it wasn't as horrible as Beorn claimed it to be, but she doubted it. Mirkwood had become a foul place.

When dinner was over the dwarves began to tell them tales of their own, about the Blue Mountains. These tales mostly involved gold, silver and jewels and the making of things by skilled smiths of the dwarves. Beorn had little interest for that, for he crafted nothing like that at all.

Allie was holding a drinking bowl filled with mead in her hand. It had been an incredibly long time since she had last drank any mead, and the alcohol tasted wrong on her tongue. She gave the rest of the bowl to Bofur, who seemed pleased with her gesture.

It was getting late and eventually Allie heard a door slam, signing that Beorn had gone. That didn't stop the dwarves and they began to sing some songs there in front of the fire as the night went on.


	19. Getting closer

**Firstly I want to apologize for the delay with this new chapter but I've been exceptionally busy lately. I'm still working on this fic and there is no way that I'll abandon this story without finishing it. Also this chapter is a rather special one so I hope that it will be enjoyed :)**

 _ **Kristyn:**_ **Thank you for your review. Hope this new chapter will please you!**

 _ **Cali:**_ **Thank you so much for saying that and for reading the story :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Getting closer**

The sun had only just risen as Allie wandered through Beorn's garden by herself. She studied the different flowers, wondering if she would be able to ask Beorn what kind of flowers these were for she had never seen them before. Allie don't know why she was so interested in that for she had never had a garden of her own and if they were to reclaim Erebor she could plant them there. It was foolish.

The sheep were bleating as Allie walked past them. The incredibly large, grey dogs were barking at her feet. Allie wasn't used to being around so many different animals at the same time, but it felt wonderful.

She had woken up before the rest of the company, and wasn't able to get more sleep. Allie had decided to get some time for herself before the rest to wake up as well.

As she strolled she heard the bees buzzing enthusiastically. It was fascinating to see how the animals did the work here and seemed to enjoy doing so. Allie assumed that Beorn treated them fairly, for he had offered them all a place of protection.

One of the white ponies stood before Allie, allowing her to stroke its pink muzzle. It was a young mare, which whinnied happily at the attention that she was getting.

"You are a very lovely mare," Allie told her. "I am sure you got the stallions fighting for you." The mare's neighed louder, making Allie chuckle. "Of course you do."

"You are up early," a voice said from behind her.

Allie turned her head and saw that some of the dwarves had already woken up. Bofur, Bifur, and Ori had come outside and watched from near the lodge.

"I wasn't able to get more sleep," Allie said.

"Are you alright, lass?" Bofur asked her.

Allie nodded. "Yes, I am. No need to worry."

"I suggest you come inside before Bombur eats all the food," Ori said teasingly.

"We can't have that," Allie said as she followed the others back inside. "Is everyone already awake?"

"Most of us already are," Bofur replied.

As Allie stepped through the threshold she was able to smell freshly baked eggs. The breakfast was lain out on the table, where all the dwarves sat gathered around.

"Where is Bilbo?" Allie asked, noticing the halfling absence. There came no response so Allie turned around and went into the other room where they had all slept the previous night. There she found Bilbo lying on the floor on his bedroll. During the night he had curled up into a little ball and Allie thought he looked adorable.

"Bilbo," she called, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. He opened one of his eyes. "I suggest that you wake up before there will be no breakfast left." That was enough for Bilbo to get up, making Allie giggle. "Hobbits and their passion for food."

"You are a hobbit yourself, Allie" he reminded her with a grin.

"Sort of," Allie corrected him. "Come on."

They sat on the veranda where a few dwarves were still seated. There wasn't a lot of food left on the table, but it was enough for Allie and Bilbo who took what they needed.

The other dwarves were moving about the hall. "We had gone looking for Beorn but we found no sign of him anywhere. He had gone very early, and had set out the breakfast before he went out," Kili clarified.

"And where is Gandalf?" Bilbo asked them.

"He should be out and about somewhere," Fili said and with that the other dwarves went inside.

"Bilbo," Allie began, putting down her mug of tea. "I was wondering if you wanted to practice with me today. I mean it's nice weather, so I thought we could do it outside. Only if you want to of course that is. Else -"

"Allie," Bilbo cut her off with a friendly smile. "I'd like that very much."

"Really?" Allie asked him unsure.

"Of course, I do," he answered honestly.

"It's just going to be the two of us this time," Allie explained. "I don't want any of these stubborn dwarves to interfere this time."

"Oi, that's rude," Oin grumbled beside her, holding up his hearing-trumpet.

Allie laughed. "I wasn't referring to you, Oin. You're a decent fellow."

After breakfast Allie and Bilbo went outside, carrying their equipment. They went to a secluded part in Beorn's garden, away from the curious eyes of dwarves. It was behind a wall of ivy, so that almost no one could find it. The place they had chosen was near a small lake and surrounded by large trees. The only audience they had were some of the sheep and the dogs, that kept a distance.

Bilbo wasn't wearing his red waistcoat. Instead he wore his usual white shirt with long sleeves and had rolled up those sleeved. He was nervously holding his sword in his hand, not knowing what to do next.

"There is no need for you to get nervous, Bilbo," Allie said as she noticed the change in his mood. "You've bravely fought an orc before."

"But that was different," Bilbo disagreed. "I still don't know anything about how to put down my feet and how to give a good blow."

"You will soon," Allie assured him. "Let's start with your foot work. Watch how I place mine. The balance is most important with any sort of combat that you do."

Allie began to demonstrate Bilbo the right way to place his feet and he clumsily followed her example. "I'm not sure if I'm doing it right," he muttered.

"Don't say that. You're doing fine."

Allie held onto his lower arms as she showed Bilbo how to properly move his feet, and to remain a good balance. He was hesitant in his moves, but after a couple of movements he grew more confident and his steps were better.

"See!" Allie exclaimed cheerfully. "You're doing that! It's great. It's still somewhat off, but when you're fighting you'll get a lot better with it. Mark my words. It's just going to take practice."

"Why are you always so optimistic?" Bilbo wondered.

"Because there is always some hope to hold onto," Allie told him. "You'll see that in the end."

Bilbo smiled. "So far you are already a better teacher than that family of yours."

"That's not very surprising, is it." Allie laughed. "We haven't practiced with weapons yet. You might change your mind."

But Bilbo didn't change his mind. Allie was the kindest and the best teacher that he could ever ask for. She really took her time with teaching him the right movements, and explaining it all to him. Especially the terms of certain blows were a blue clueless for him, but with Allie's clarifications it became more clear.

After a few hours Bilbo was able to show Allie show good parries, which pleased her immensely. Because of this and Allie's good praises Bilbo's confidence grew and he was eager to learn and practice more, but Allie thought differently.

"It can be admired how devoted you're becoming about this, but we can't overdo it," Allie said to him. "You've only just started your training. Your muscles aren't used to this kind of exercise yet and they are going to hurt you."

"How about your arm? Is it still painful?" Bilbo asked thoughtful.

"It stopped hurting," Allie admitted, relieved. "It felt surprisingly pleasant just now."

After the training they just lay there in the soft grass, letting the summer sun warm their skins. It was around noon that Fili and Kili dropped nearby to bring them some lunch, which they ate together.

When the dwarves had gone again Allie and Bilbo just remained there at that area. They played and wrestled with the dogs and once they were tired they sat on the edge of the lake, their feet dangling into the water. Most of all they just talked with each other and it felt as if they have known each other their entire lives. Allie had become fond of listening to Bilbo telling stories about the Shire.

When it was evening and the sun had set that was the first they saw of Gandalf all day, who returned only just before sunset. Everyone was already having inside the hall. The animals of Beorn were once again acting as waiters, who had been at their sides all day. The only one they hadn't seen today was Beorn, which confused them.

The dwarves immediately fired lots of questions at the wizard, wanting answers. "Everyone calm down. I haven't had supper yet!" Gandalf protested.

They all then waited patiently until Gandalf pushed away his plate and his bowl and took out his pipe. "I will answer your question!" he said. For a few minutes the wizard was occupied with making the nicest smoke rings, sending them through the hall.

"I was picking out bear-tracks," Gandalf finally said. "They must have been regular bears meeting outside hear. It couldn't have been Beorn who has made them all, for there were too many and of different sizes. They came from almost every direction." He told them how he followed the track back to the Carrock and to where they had their encounter with the wargs the other night.

His words caused some panic for Bilbo. "What shall we do?" he cried.

"I suggest that you all get some sleep," the wizard harrumphed.

That was the last that was being said about the matter and shortly after the company went to the other room and lay down at their bedrolls.

* * *

It was still eerie quiet as Allie wandered around the gardens the following morning. She had once again risen before the others, simply because she enjoyed some time for herself.

"Hey, boy," she said quietly as one of the large dogs came at her. She scratched him behind his ears, causing him to bark cheerfully at her. "Seems like you and I are the only ones awake right now."

The dog barked again before it sat down next to Allie on the ground. Allie had never had a pet before, but she had always imagined what it must be like to have one animal that would be completely loyal to you.

Shortly after that the company members woke up and this time Allie didn't need to wake up Bilbo, who was looking rather refreshed. As soon as everyone had eaten breakfast Allie and Bilbo went back to the same place as the other day.

Once again Allie took her time in teaching Bilbo what she knew. She noticed that the Halfling was more enthusiastic about it than he had been before. He was even coming up with some suggestions himself this time.

They trained there for hours, having a good laugh while they did so. Never before had Allie had so much fun during a training, and she was really having a good time. In the end she and Bilbo were mostly joking and teasing each other, causing the other to laugh even harder.

The day went by like that. There was still no sign of Beorn anywhere, and the dwarves were confused as to where their host had gone off to. Nonetheless they ate dinner and sang more songs.

A few hours later Allie found herself lying in her bedroll. All around her she heard the sound of dwarves snoring, which made it impossible for her to drift asleep. Feeling rather restless Allie got up and quietly tiptoed out of the room, without waking up any one of her company members.

She went outside the lodge, wrapping a coat around herself. The warmth had faded with the sun and there was a rather chill in the air. Allie didn't go back inside, instead she walked further through the grass. There were no animals outside at this hour, which were probably sleeping in a barn somewhere.

Allie went on towards a large oak tree that stood out amongst the rest. She heard a squirrel running across the branches. It was there that Allie began to twirl around underneath the tree. If she had worn skirts she would've looked more graceful, but right now it looked clumsy. Still it felt amazing.

Little did she know that someone saw her there, dancing under the moonlight.

"I didn't know you could dance," a soft voice said.

Allie halted and turned around, only to see Bilbo standing there. With this cold he had put on his waistcoat again.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Bilbo apologized. "I had no idea you would be outside."

"I am a dreadful dancer, but I sometimes indulge into it. It's fun," Allie replied with a light chuckle. "I couldn't sleep. The dwarves were snoring too loud. How about you?"

A smile tugged at the corner of Bilbo's mouth. "Same here. It is impossible to get some sleep with them. Especially with Bombur."

"Oh, yes," Allie agreed. "He's quite a snorer."

"Don't you want to go back inside?" Bilbo asked her.

Allie shook her head. "No. Not right now. We could talk."

"Yes, we could," Bilbo said. They sat down underneath the tree with their backs leaning against the tree-trunk. They were sitting pretty close to each other, that their shoulders were touching. Neither of them minded. "What do you want to talk about?"

Allie took a deep breath, fidgeting with her fingers. She realized how comfortable she felt with Bilbo and that she wanted to come clean with the Halfling. "I could tell you about my mother, if you don't mind."

Bilbo was surprised that she brought that up, for he knew that too be an emotional subject to her. He didn't want to pressure her or anything. "Only if you want to, Allie."

"I do want to. I will tell you." Allie bit her lip. "My mother's name was Arabella Cotton and she was from Budgeford. She wasn't born wealthy and she told me that her childhood wasn't the greatest. Her parents had lots of expectations from her, and knew how to pressure her. She was far from happy and when she came off age she and one of her closest friends named Marigold left the Shire behind them, having enough of being around hobbits. They found their way to Bree, where apparently my mother first met Gandalf. Because she was a good physician my mother wanted to find a right place where she could provide poor souls with the help that they needed. With Gandalf's advice she and Marigold went to Ered Luin where they ended up in the Blue Mountains. Being the first hobbit she volunteered herself as a nurse to attend wounded dwarven soldiers. She got the job and her skill and knowledge quickly made her known and loved amongst the dwarves. They allowed her to come with the soldiers to Moria where the Battle of Azanulbizar took place. You heard Balin talk about this. During this battle the King got decapitated by Azog the Defiller. In the end the battle was won by the dwarves with many casualties. She was allowed to attend Thorin who had endured some injuries during the fight. I remember how my mother described him as a stubborn fool, who refused to listen to what she said. Once they returned to the Blue Mountains Arabella had to make sure Thorin's injuries healed well. After a couple of months Thorin grew infatuated with the Halfling with her hair as red as fire and he wanted to spend all of his free time with her. Arabella even returned the affections. There was just one problem. He was the leader of his people and a dwarf, and she was nothing but a lowly hobbit from the Shire. That didn't stop them from seeing each other for many years and my mother after ended up pregnant, with me. Then they had no other choice but to marry. Despite my mother being a Halfling she was quickly accepted by the dwarves and she was allowed to rule at my father's side. When I was born after a troublesome pregnancy, my parents were over the moon. I think that's the happiest they have ever been in their lives. My mother was a very kind soul and she thought me how to be generous and to be fair, and I shall always take her advice to heart. She always went with me to the arena where Dwalin and my father taught me how to use a weapon. When I ten summers old my mother had some business to attend in Gondamon and she took me with her. We were accompanied by guards so we wouldn't be defenseless, for my mother didn't know how to fight. No one had dared to imagine what could possibly happen." Allie swallowed a sob away. "During our way to Gondamon we encountered a group of orcs that dwelt in the mountain. Our small group stood no chance against such a large force. The guards were slain where they stood. My mother tried to do what she could to protect me, but the orcs were too strong. They killed her as if she was worth nothing. In the end they focused their attention on me and I got stabbed by the leader before the orcs fled. I thought I had died. I still have no idea how long I lay there but when I woke up I was in a bed in a nursery in Gondamon and I wasn't allowed to move, for my injuries were too deep. This orc had ripped open my stomach, which had caused my uterus to damage. I won't ever be able to give birth to my own children. It was Thorin who told me what had happened to my mother, for I couldn't remember. I have never seen my father so broken as in that moment. It was almost as if someone had ripped his heart out and he had died along with her. We sat there for hours as we wept and wept." Allie couldn't hold back her tears anymore and they were almost pouring down her cheek. "I lost everything that day and it still hurts to think back of it. I won't ever forget the look on my mother's face. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and I wonder if she would be proud of me."

Bilbo had never dared to imagine that the story of Allie's mother would be so heartbreaking. He realized he tears stinging in his eyes himself. He let his emotions take control as he oh so gently enfolded his arms around Allie's waist, pulling her against him. She buried her head in his shoulder while he held her. She felt how he ran his fingers through her curls in a comforting way.

"Allie, nothing I will say now will make up for what you went through. I am so sorry that you and your family had to endure so much," Bilbo said sincerely. "You are a very strong woman, Allie Fairchild. Thank you for finding the courage to share this with me. I am sure that took a lot of strength."

"I should thank you for listening," Allie muttered against his shoulder, but he was able to hear her. "I hardly ever talk about this with someone. My father is too heartbroken to talk about it, so he always averted the subject. And none of the other dwarves really understand. They try, but it's just different. I just keep it to myself."

"You shouldn't keep it all bottled up. It's good to speak your mind from time to time," Bilbo said to her. "Never hesitate to talk with someone you trust whenever you want to talk. I know I'm only a recently new person in your life, but -"

Allie pulled back, but remained close to Bilbo. He could stare into her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. "I do trust you," she admitted honestly. "I feel comfortable whenever I'm with you and it's just nice to talk with you. I care a lot about you, Bilbo."

Bilbo gave her a reassuring smile. "I care about you too, Allie. You are one of the kindest persons I've ever met and it's because of you that I don't regret coming along on this journey."

Allie was quiet for a few moments. She bit her lip. "You once asked me if anyone had ever hurt me," she said.

Bilbo had not expected to hear her say that. "You don't have to tell me. You've already told me something important, which obviously affects you a lot."

"I do want to tell you. All of it because it's becoming a burden and I haven't talked about this for so long," Allie admitted. She inhaled as Bilbo waited for her to continue. "It was thirty years ago. Back then I was already spending most of my days in the arena practicing. The remainder of my time I spend with my father. After my mother died he needed the extra help, and I didn't mind providing that. It was one warm afternoon that my path came across that of a dwarf named Nyad. He was a few years my senior and he was the son of the local butcher. We became friends and we started to hang out whenever we had some free time. That went on for at least six months. One day Nyad kissed me. Back then I was young and inexperienced and Nyad was my first crush. Being foolish as I was, I thought this was the real thing. I liked being around Nyad. But with my busy schedule and loyalties to my father I had only little time to see him. This began to annoy Nyad, and he started to release his anger on me for I was responsible for not seeing him more often. The fact is that I even believed him and blamed myself. I thought I deserved his physical punishment and wore the bruises with dignity. The longer I knew Nyad, the more I realized he was someone with a bad temper. The simplest things in life would anger him, and he always outed in on me. After a while people started to notice the bruises. I wasn't able to cover up the blue eye he had given me with his fist. Of course my father noticed and started to ask questions. I told him that I had endured it during a practice with Dwalin, but he didn't believe my story. Without me knowing he followed me to one of my meetings with Nyad. He saw the dwarf use his anger against me and that caused my father to snap. Nyad was beaten up pretty badly before he was exiled from the Blue Mountains, never to return. Ever since that has happened my father had people watching me constantly, to make sure that I wouldn't sneak out again. My father has forbidden me from ever seeing another man again without his consent."

Bilbo's mouth hung slightly open as he had listened to her devastating story. He couldn't believe that sweet and innocent Allie had endured so much pain for the sake of love.

"Allie, I don't know what I can say," he began unsure. "It is obvious that you weren't too blame. You must've been so young and he took advantage from you. You didn't deserve to go through that. It is good that your father put an end to this by exiling this dwarf."

"Now I do realize that I was the biggest fool for staying with Nyad and letting him threat me like that," Allie replied, her voice cracking.

Bilbo rubbed her tear-track's away from her cheeks. "No, you are not a fool. It can only be admired that you remained loyal to him no matter what he did to you. Did you ever find another man after this?" he asked with great interest. He didn't realize that he felt angry himself because someone had hurt her like that, and his hands shook slightly.

"No, I haven't been fortunate enough I'd say. I've also simply been too busy with everything in my life to look for someone. Besides they have to be approved by my father first and you know what he's like." She let out a light chuckle. "How about you? Were there any hobbit lasses who made you chase them?"

This was the first time that Bilbo had ever spoken about his love life with a woman, and it surprised him how nice and normal it felt to talk about it with Allie. It was almost as natural as breathing. "There were two women," he said. "I courted them for a couple of months before realizing this wasn't working out, so I ended it. I never found someone else."

Allie stared deeply into his eyes. "Do you believe that there is someone out there for everyone?"

Bilbo paused, thinking about it. "I do in fact. Everyone has their special someone."

"I hope so. It can be exhausting to always be alone," Allie admitted. "For now I'm simply scaring the men away it seems."

"No, you're not. They are fools for not appreciating the amazing woman that you are," Bilbo assured her. "You deserve someone who treats you with respect and gives you the love you desire. You will one day find someone who will make you happy."

Alie was such a wonderful and strong woman who had fought many battles in her life. Still she showed nothing but kindness to everyone that she saw, which was something he admired about her. Allie would always put others above her.

Allie was touched by Bilbo's generous and sweet words and wasn't sure how to respond to it.

Before she knew it Bilbo's lips were on hers, soft and unhurried. Allie was completely taken aback. Her eyes widened a little as Bilbo kissed her, holding her lips captive for a couple of seconds before pulling her into a second kiss. Allie's eyes fluttered close as she instantly melted while they kissed. She could feel her heart fluttering inside her chest, almost out of control. His lips were soft and warm against her own and it felt too good. It was perfect.

Their moment came to an end when they heard the sound of something large growling behind them. They pulled apart and looked into the dark eyes of an enormous bear with eyes as black as night. The bear was bigger than any average bear they had ever seen before.

It was Beorn. And he had just encountered Allie and Bilbo during a rather intimate moment.

The bear growled again before it took off between the trees. Allie needed a couple of seconds to pull herself back together and she was confused and uncomfortable from what had just happened.

She looked at Bilbo and felt her cheeks reddening. "I'm going to bed. Good night," she quickly said while she hurried back into the lodge, leaving Bilbo there by himself.


	20. Realization

**Chapter 20: Realization**

 _There were rolling green hills as far as the eyes could see. The flowers and the orchards were in blossom. There were lots of hobbits out and about on the roads and in their gardens._

 _Bilbo knew that he was back in the Shire. He was standing near the fields on the west side of his beloved Bag End. It was a hot day, which told him that it must be summer._

 _"Frodo!" a female voice called._

 _Surprised Bilbo turned his head, only to see a woman walking passed him. Her mass of red curls bounced with her steps. She was wearing a lilac colored dress, with a tight corset. The skirts stopped just above her feet and he could see that she was wearing boots underneath, something which a normal hobbit wouldn't do._

 _He took a closer look at her face. She had a fair pale skin and freckles around her nose. Her cheeks had a healthy rosy color to them and her lips were curved. She was absolutely beautiful._

 _It took Bilbo a few seconds to realize that this woman was no one else than Allie Fairchild, the daughter of the dwarven King from Erebor, Thorin Oakenshield. And yet here she was walking across the hill in the Shire._

 _"Frodo!" she called out again, this time louder. "Where did you go, lad?"_

 _She walked further across the hill, her hands touching the tall grass as she went. Bilbo could only watch her while he thought about why she was here, but he couldn't think of an answer to give._

 _Allie's blue eyes then met his. "Did you see Frodo anywhere, love?" she asked him._

 _This only confused Bilbo more. There was no way that a woman as Allie would be referring to him as 'love'. There wasn't even a good reason as to why she was here, looking for a hobbit boy it seemed._

 _He shook his head. "No, I didn't see him," and he wasn't lying._

 _Allie huffed. "I swear if he ran off with little Samwise again."_

 _Bilbo felt his throat going dry when he saw the silver band around her index finger, indicating that she was married. By the way that she was talking to him Bilbo assumed that she had married him, but that couldn't be the case._

 _There was no time for Bilbo to ponder about it because Allie now stood before him, their faces very close from each other. "You didn't see if Sam followed us when we left, did you?" she asked him. "You know how loyal he is to Frodo."_

 _"No, I was too busy with Frodo to notice if Sam was behind us," Bilbo replied honestly. He couldn't remember if that was the case but the words pretty much rolled out of his mouth._

 _Allie smiled brightly. "Look at you being a very devoted uncle," she said with fondness in her voice. "I'm glad I married you, Bilbo Baggins." She then completely surprised him by pressing her soft lips against his, and kissed him chastely._

 _With that she turned around and walked away, continuing her search again. Bilbo was simply too stunned to do something. She had kissed him... He had married Allie Fairchild... That couldn't be true. She was the daughter of a dwarven king after all. This could only be a dream._

 _He saw how Allie was chatting with one of the hobbit women near the road, probably asking her if she had seen Frodo. Bilbo looked down, noticing that he was standing on a checkered blanket. There was a huge basket there, and also a plate with a freshly baked seek cake. He had taken Allie and his nephew Frodo with him on a picnic._

 _He heard Allie laughing merrily, which made him look up. A young hobbit lad, not older than ten summers old was running towards her. He had dark curly hair, and the biggest blue eyes imaginable. "Frodo Baggins! Where did you run off to?" Allie asked him, as she lifted the boy in her arms, kissing his forehead. She then saw the other boy that stood near her feet. He was around the same age as Frodo, with auburn hair and a friendly face. "Well, if it isn't Samwise Gamgee. Did you sneak off again?"_

 _"No, I did not," Sam said to her._

 _"I am sure that your parents have no idea that you're out here," Allie replied. "I will have a word with them about when we get back. You only followed your friend, but you have to let your parents know next time so they don't worry. Why don't we have some cake first?"_

 _"Is it carrot cake?" Frodo asked._

 _She shook her head. "No, dear. It's a seed cake your uncle has baked for us. You know it's his favorite," she said. Then they all looked over to where Bilbo was still standing. "Let's see who can get there fastest." She placed Frodo on the ground._

 _The children didn't need to be told twice and they broke off into a run, Allie behind them with a decent pace in her walk. It was Frodo who had dropped onto the blanket the fastest, completely out of breath from running up the hill._

 _"Where did you and Sam run off to earlier?" Bilbo asked as he handed them some of the cake._

 _"We went to the river," Sam pointed out. "But we were very cautious, Mr. Baggins. Hobbits can't swim after all, so we stayed away from the edge."_

 _"There were some hobbits fishing and we went to see that," Frodo responded with his mouth full._

 _"Sometimes I wonder if you aren't related to a dwarf," Allie muttered, referring to Frodo's lack of manners when it came to food. "How would you all like to go fishing tomorrow? I know a good spot where we should be able to catch some trout's."_

 _"Yes!" Frodo exclaimed excitedly. "Can we do that? Please."_

 _He was now looking up at Bilbo with those big eyes of his. Bilbo quickly realized that it would be impossible to deny the lad anything when he gazed up at him like that. "Sure. I don't see why not," Bilbo answered. "I think I have some spare rods for you both that you can use."_

 _Sam let out laugh. "Can't wait to show Ted Sandyman if we catch a huge fish." Even at this age Sam wasn't that fond of the son of the miller. They had gotten into some arguments._

 _"Oh, I forget to tell you something," Allie began, grinning. "I have received a letter this morning letting me know that Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took are both returning to the Shire next week."_

 _Merry and Pippin, as they were simply called, were related to Frodo but they were also really close friends to him and Sam. Merry lived in Brandybuck, across the Brandywine-river. Pippin had been staying there for a few weeks because Merry was family of his, and the two were incredibly close. Seeing them both return to the Shire seemed to only excite Frodo and Sam who already began to plan what they should do when Merry and Pippin were here._

 _"As long as you don't go off stealing vegetables from a nearby farmer," Allie said. "Stealing is never good."_

 _"But you told me that uncle Bilbo stole the Arkenstone from the dragon Smaug," Frodo pointed out._

 _Allie shared a brief look with Bilbo. "Oh yes, he did. And almost started a war in return," she teased, thinking back of the memory. "But vegetable are less harmful I am sure."_

Bilbo woke up in cold sweat when he was being picked up by Beorn himself. "Ah, so you were still sleeping," the large man said with a laugh. "Not eaten at all I see. I'd suggest you come and have some more breakfast. The dwarves and your lady friend are already there."

With that Beorn walked away, leaving Bilbo all by himself. The hobbit rubbed his temple as he tried to process what had just happened. He had dreamed about being married to Allie and raising his unknown nephew with her. He couldn't believe he had dreamed that!

If Allie knew that Bilbo had dreamed about her in such a manner she would be furious with him, as she should be. There was no reason for her to ever want to get married to him and live with him in Shire. This dream couldn't mean anything. It had to be. Allie could do so much better.

To make matters even worse Bilbo remembered that he had kissed Allie the other night. She had trusted him enough and had showed him her vulnerable side, which she didn't show to anyone else. He had treated her so unjust and then had kissed her like that. He couldn't imagine how angry Allie already was with him. He had seen that she hadn't been pleased with his actions by how she fled after the kiss. He could perfectly understand that she didn't want to see him anymore. He hated himself for doing this to her. He didn't even understand why he had kissed her. It had just happened...

"Bilbo, you fool," he said to himself. "You've created a huge mess."

He knew that he'd best join the others before they started to think something was wrong. The Halfling took a deep breath as he stepped into the hall. As expected the company was already gathered around the table, and the animals were once again tending them. Beorn sat at the head of the table, and was in a jolly mood.

Bilbo sat down next to Balin and Ori, and ate his breakfast in silence. He didn't dare to look across the table and to accidentally meet Allie's gaze. He heard her talking with Bofur and Gloin so he knew that she was sitting on the opposite side, which is why he kept his attention focused on the plate in front of him.

Beorn started to tell him with a lot of humor, about where he had been the previous days. He had gone to check the traces of the wargs that had chased them, and had found that part of their story to be true. Beorn also told them that he had caught a wargs and an orc, for they were still hunting them.

"I liked that story of yours," Beorn told them. "I enjoyed it even more when I found it to be truth. You must forgive me for not taking your word for it. If you live around these parts you take word of no one that you don't know. I can assure you that I think more kindly of dwarves after this. You killed the Great Goblin after all." The man chuckled to himself.

"What did you do with the orc and the warg?" Bilbo asked suddenly.

"I think it's best you come and see that," Beorn responded.

Everyone followed the skin-changer around the house. An orc's head was stuck outside the gate and a warg-skin was nailed to a nearby tree. It was obvious that Beorn was not someone to be trifled with. He was a dangerous enemy to have. Bilbo felt more at ease to know that Beorn saw them as friends.

Beorn then told them that he provided ponies for each of them, and a horse for Gandalf. This would help them on their journey to borders of Mirkwood. The ponies would be laden with enough food to last them a few weeks with care. He said that they would find water along the road in form of streams and springs.

"Your way through Mirkwood will be dangerous, dark and difficult," Beorn warned them. "For there it won't be easy to find water, nor food. In there all things are dark and savage. I will provide you all with skins for carrying water, and give you some bows and arrows. There is only one stream in Mirkwood which is black and strong. It crosses the path. You should neither drink or bathe in it. It its told that the water carries an enchantment and a great drowsiness and forgetfulness. But whatever you do, do NOT stray from the path. That is all the advice I can give you. This is all the advice and help that I can give you. Beyond the edge of the forest there is nothing I can do. Luck and courage is what you need to hold on to, and the food I send with you. I do have to ask you to return me my horse and ponies at the gate of the forest. Should you return you are all welcome to stay here."

They all thanked him of course, even though their spirits sank at Beorn's grave words about Mirkwood. No one had any idea how dangerous Mirkwood truly was. Even if they made it through that forest there still was a dragon waiting for them in the end.

All morning they were busy with preparations. Around noon they ate with Beorn one final time, before they all mounted the steeds he was landing them. After saying many farewells they rode off through his gate.


	21. Stepping forwards

**Chapter 21: Stepping forwards**

It felt odd to be back in the saddle again. Still Allie had missed not having to walk and took the slight pain in her lower back for granted because of it. Besides they were able to cross a larger distance this way because the ponies moved faster.

The company had turned north as soon as they had left Beorn's territory behind them. The man had advised them not to make for the main forest-road to the south of his land. Had they followed this pass they most certainly come across Azog and his pack of wargs sooner or later, for they were still chasing them from the Misty Mountains. Even on ponies they wouldn't be able to outrun them.

North of the Carrock, the edge of Mirkwood drew closer to the borders of the Great River. The mountains too drew down nearer, Beorn had advised them to take this way. It would take them a few day's ride due North from the Carrock. In the end it would lead them to an unknown pathway to Mirkwood, of which Azog didn't know of. It was the best chance that they had.

The company rode for the largest part of the afternoon. This time Allie was riding alongside her cousins. She felt that she hadn't seen them that much in the last couple of days and it felt nice to listen to their usual cheerful prattle again.

"Do you think the woman will be fighting for our hands if we succeed in reclaiming Erebor?" Kili pointed out, grinning sheepishly.

"That must be. We're quite irresistible after all," Fili went on.

Allie rolled with her eyes. "Well, at least your ego is big enough. Perhaps some women find that attractive."

She heard Bofur roar with laughter. "Very funny," Kili muttered in return.

"Didn't you almost hit on an elven lad back at Rivendell?" Dwalin chimed in.

"I can't believe you did that," Nori laughed.

"How was I to tell?" Kili went to defend himself. "He was all creamy skin and all and didn't even have a beard."

Ori chuckled. "Well, dwarven women have beards. Look at Gloin's wife."

"Leave my wife out of this," Gloin protested. "But yes, she has a very long beard of which she is very proud!"

"Then you know what you should be looking for," Bofur said to Fili and Kili with a wink. "You have to look for a good beard."

When dusk fell they made up camp near a stream. Not wanting to risk the case of alerting their presence to nearby orcs, they didn't build one. Because Allie was restless she offered to take the first watch that night, wanting to have some time for herself to think.

She sat there with her back against a nearby tree, huddled under her cloak. It didn't take too long before the first snoring sounds of the dwarves filled the air and Allie hoped it wouldn't be heard from miles away, especially when Bombur snored.

"Allie, is everything alright? You're awfully quiet, dear?" Thorin asked her.

Allie slightly jumped, not realizing that her father had still been awake. She picked her nails. "Y-yes, I'm alright," she reassured him. "I was thinking about mother earlier." She wasn't lying about that. She had found herself thinking about her mother an awful lot lately. Especially since this quest had started.

Thorin sat down beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It's perfectly understandable to think of you mother," he said to her. "I only have this feeling that there is something else that's bothering you, which you aren't telling me?"

Allie didn't expect that her father would see through that. "When have I ever not told you something?" Allie questioned, her brows furrowed.

He laughed, softly. "Occasionally I don't have to go into detail about it. It's just normally when you're not being honest, something is bothering you. I can tell when you're fibbing, Gemez."

Allie smiled. "Of course you do. You know me better than anyone." She leaned closer to her father, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you really think we're going to stand a chance against a dragon as mighty as Smaug?"

"I cannot say such a thing for certain. The odds aren't against us," Thorin admitted. "We do have some advantage with having Bilbo with us, for Smaug doesn't know about hobbits."

Bilbo... The mention of the hobbit caused all the memories from the last day to come back to Allie and she felt her heart jump. She knew that the hobbit was only fast asleep a couple of meters away. The whole day she hadn't dared to look at him, not knowing what to say or what to do. She had never been so puzzled before.

Last night when she had entrusted him with her troublesome past and had showed him her vulnerable side, which she only showed to people that she trusted. Bilbo had been an absolute gentleman about it and had comforted her. He didn't pity her, but he told her had that he admired her courage for staying so strong. That had been exactly what Allie had needed to hear.

Then he had kissed her. And she had kissed him back. That was what had confused her the most. _Why on earth had Bilbo kissed her, and had she returned it?_ _Was there something that she had said to Bilbo that gave him the idea that this was alright?_ Maybe Bilbo just got carried away. Allie didn't peg Bilbo as the type who would do this to take advantage of a vulnerable woman. He was a much better man than that.

There were so many questions left unanswered and it made Allie's head spin. The question that that kept coming back the most was why Allie had kissed him back. She had seemed to enjoy the kiss, else she would've pulled away. Now she had only made this entire situation a gigantic blur.

 _Did she like Bilbo?_

Sure, she did. As a friend. He had been incredibly loyal and kind to have ever since they had met and she had trusted him enough to tell him about her past, which not many people knew about. That made Allie think if she perhaps liked Bilbo more than just a friend.

She couldn't possibly think of Bilbo in that manner. He was a very good friend to her after all, and after everything that had happened she hoped he still was. They just needed to clear things out between the two of them. They're friennds, and that was all there was. This kiss shouldn't have happened.

"Allie, what are you thinking about?" Thorin asked her concerned, interrupting her thoughts.

"I don't want to talk about that now. Can you just stay with me t onight? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course, Gemez," he promised, kissing the top of her head. "I'll stay here. Get some sleep."

It didn't take too long until Allie drifted asleep with her father holding her.

* * *

The sun was hot the following day and still the company road on. They went further away from the Carrock. Thorin was very eager to press on, so they hardly got enough time to stretch their legs.

As the day went on Allie shifted restlessly in her saddle. It was there that she was able to see the shape of a dark bear on the hillside. By the shape and the size of the bear she knew that this could only be Beorn, for she had seen him in his bear-form before.

The bear was circling there. Allie wasn't so sure if he was simply watching them to make sure that they would return his ponies, or that he was making sure that they weren't hunted by Azog.

Allie was kind of reassured that he was there watching them, no matter his reason. It was better if they had the bear at their side should Azog decide to strike them.

"Do you think Beorn is following us for a good reason, lass?" Bofur asked skeptically.

"I don't know about that," Allie said. "He's just keeping an eye out it seems."

* * *

For four days they kept riding to the North. They noticed that there were hardly any animals along the road and that the ponies grew more restless. Around noon they came across the gate of Mirkwood that Beorn had told them about.

This forest was different from any other Allie had ever seen. The trees were huge and hideous as if they were rotten to the core. They went on endlessly towards both sides.

"And now that we've reached Mirkwood," Gandalf began. "This is the place where I have to leave you." There was a grimness in his voice as he said that, not wanting to leave them at a place like this. "I have no other choice, but to leave you."

"I shall miss you," Allie said sincerely. She kissed the wizard's cheek. "That's one less reasonable person to talk with."

"Oi!" Kili called out.

"I feel the same, my dear," Gandalf responded with a deep chuckle, ruffling through her curls. "We will see each other again. That I can guarantee you. Never lose that strength of yours."

"I try not to," Allie assured with a wink. "Good luck with this quest of yours."

"Oh, Bilbo," Gandalf said. "Can I have a word?"

Allie somewhat froze on the spot as she heard Bilbo approach. She hadn't faced him after what had happened between them, and she didn't know what to do. It was not as if she was scared of him, there just was unresolved tension and this awkwardness.

Allie decided to step away before Bilbo would be next to her so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye and hurried to where Balin was standing. The old dwarf seemed to notice her discomfort and always was concerned about her well-being.

"Everything alright, lass?" he asked her.

"Yes. I was simply thinking how different it was going to be without Gandalf to aid us," Allie said instead. She watched how Nori, Fili and Bifur released the ponies.

"I am sure that we are going to miss the assistance of this wizard in this dreadful forest," Balin responded. "He could've been of much use against who knows whatever is out there waiting for us."

After Gandalf had finished talking with Bilbo he got onto his horse, giving some final words the company. "Whatever happens DO NOT STRAY FROM THE PATH! The air here is foul and it will deceive you, so be on your guard. If you leave the path you will never find it again, so you must stay on it!" he warned them.

With that the wizard kicked his horse into a canter and rode off with great haste. It took only a few minutes until he was nothing but a grey dot on the horizon and Allie wished that he would return and tell him that he had been joking, but that didn't happen. Gandalf was gone, and they were all on their own to face Mirkwood.

The dwarves now focused their attention onto the large gate that stood between them. None dared to come closer to it and eventually it was Allie who gave it a good push so that they were able to pass through it.

They had made it to Mirkwood.


	22. Into the water

**Chapter 22: Into the water**

As to be expected Mirkwood truly was as horrible as Gandalf and Beorn had told them it would be. Their first night in the dark forest they had sat up a small encampment next to the road. It was so dark in the forest that it wasn't possible for them to see their hands of who was sitting next to them. Everything had to be done on instinct.

Then there were the strange eyes that Allie could not place, that stared up at them from the dark.

"What on good earth is that?" Gloin grumbled.

"Whatever it is, these aren't animals," Kili pointed out with distaste. "We best pay them no attention."

Thorin seemed to agree with that. "Sometimes needs to have first watch. We cannot let our guards down in a place like this without knowing what's out there."

"Who knows we'll get ambushed by elves," Dwalin pretty much growled.

Allie could only hope that wasn't the case. They were trespassing into the elven territory after all, so it was possible. She didn't understand how the elves were able to live in a place as dark and cold as this. Allie wouldn't last a month. She longed for the sun.

* * *

After a few days of walking further through this forsaken forest the days pretty much blended into one another. Because the days were all similar to another Allie had no idea how long they had been here exactly. It felt far too long for her liking anyway.

There was only a bare minimum of light that shone through the canopies of the trees. With it they were able to vaguely see where they were going, and they had to deal with it. Whatever living animal they were able to hunt seemed to have been poisoned, so no one dared to eat it.

One afternoon Allie was sitting on a boulder giving her feet some rest, and eating a quick lunch. Because the road they were following wasn't in the greatest conditions it was nice to be able to sit down every once in a while, even though this place give her the creeps.

"What are you drawing?" Allie asked curiously as she observed Ori scribbling in his sketchbook.

The young dwarf looked up to meet her gaze. "I was just trying to draw how I'm experiencing this forest. Since this place is so dark, it's quite a struggle to do it right."

"I'm sure you'll manage," Allie replied optimistically. "What else did you draw so far?"

Oli handed her his sketchbook. Allie cautiously flipped through the pages, seeing the different drawings that he had done. There was one of Bag End, the Lone Lands, one from the Goblin King and a few of his goblins, Rivendell, Lord Elrond, the Misty Mountains and one of Beorn. There were also a few company members that Ori had drawn, including Thorin and Allie herself. There was one drawing that made Allie's breath hitch. It was Bilbo.

The drawing was incredibly detailed and Ori had managed to get the Halfling just right. It really showed the couture of his face, the shape of his nose and brows. His eyes were so expressive. Even the lips were curved just right. Because the picture lacked color the curly hair of Bilbo was grey, but Bilbo looked incredibly handsome. It was a pretty close copy of what Bilbo really looked like.

"Do you like it?" Ori asked, noticing her silence.

"Y-yes. Yes, I do. Ori, these are great. You've drawn Bilbo very well," Allie admitted in awe.

She went to the next drawing in the sketchbook and found one of her and Bilbo. This one had been drawn back at Rivendell and it existed of Allie and Bilbo sitting next to each other, in deep conversation. Allie noticed the huge grin on her face and how happy she and Bilbo looked on it. Her heart fluttered because of it.

"Oh, that one," Ori said when he saw which one she was looking at. "I was able to draw that one without you two noticing. Did I get it right?"

Allie nodded. "You sure did, Ori. This is fantastic."

"You know what," Ori began, taking back his sketchbook. He cautiously ripped the page from his book. He then handed it to Allie. "I want you to have it."

"Are you serious?" Allie asked doubtfully. "You worked really hard on this and I have nowhere to keep it so that it doesn't get damaged."

"Of course I mean it," Ori replied with a friendly grin. "Take this with you as well. You can keep the drawing in there." He handed her a smaller journal which he had carried in his back. It was big enough for the drawing to be kept it, without having to be folded so that it stayed neat. "I will make more drawings for you if you wish. I have one drawing of you, but I plan to keep that one myself. I will draw more later on which you can have."

"You are being far too generous, Ori," Allie said, completely amazed by the dwarf his kindness. "There is no need for you do to this."

"I want to give you some drawings to remember everything by," Ori clarified.

Allie could only grin at that. "Thank you, Ori. I will cherish this." She gave him a peck on his cheek. "There is no need for you to do this, but I really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure, Allie," he assured her.

As more time went afterwards they reached the stream where Beorn had warned them about before they left his property. There was a bridge above the stream, but the rope that was holding it together had rotten away. There was no way they could use it.

Allie gazed down at the water and she could smell the foul scent that came from the dark water. This water could only be enchanted, and it was best that they wouldn't touch it. She vaguely remembered Beorn saying something about losing your memory if that were to happen.

"How can we possibly cross it?" Nori questioned.

"Whatever we do, we have to make sure not to fall into the water," Allie warned them. "It doesn't feel good at all."

"Aye, the lass is right," Balin agreed. "I can almost feel the enchantment coming from it."

"There is a boat there," Bilbo pointed out, squinting his eyes. "I should say it's about twelve yards away."

"We can't jump such a distance," Dwalin grumbled.

"Perhaps we can toss one another?" Kili suggested.

"Don't be daft," Allie intervened. "You are too heavy for that, especially with your gear on and your equipment and you shall never make it. You can't fall in the water."

"Can't we throw a rope?" Nori thought of.

"We have to tie the boat up," Thorin responded. "I doubt we can even hook it."

"It doesn't look like it's tied," Allie replied. Her eyesight wasn't as bad of that of the dwarves and she was able to see it. "It just looks as if it was drawn upon the bank, which is low there where the path goes down into the water."

Fili squinted his eyes. "I can see the boat. Can someone give me a rope?"

Oin handed him the longest rope to Fili, and on the end they fastened one of the large iron hooks they had brought with them about their shoulders. Fili held it in his hands, balanced it for a few seconds and then threw it across the stream.

"Steady," Bilbo said to him. "You have thrown it right into the wood on the other side. You have to draw it back, but gently." So Fili cautiously hauled the rope back. After a while Bilbo said, "Careful now! It's lying on the boat. Maybe the hook will catch."

And it did. The rope went taunt and the boat went forward. Kili went to help his brother and then more dwarves came to their aid. Even Allie went to help. Together they tucked and tucked. Meanwhile Bilbo caught the rope and with a piece of stick he had found, he fended off the black boat as it came rushing across the stream.

"Help," the Halfling shouted.

Allie was just in time to grab Bilbo by the back of his waistcoat before he would fall into the stream while Balin seized the boat before it would float off down the current. Bilbo's friendly blue eyes looked shocked to see it had been Allie who had saved him.

"Thank you," he said, not daring to meet her gaze. Not after everything that had happened.

She nodded as she let go off him. "Just be careful." Allie turned to the others. "Seems like it was tied after all."

"I will cross first," Thorin clarified. "Allie and Bilbo you come with me." He stepped into the boat. Allie swallowed loudly before she took her father's hand and got into the boat herself. Bilbo followed them. "The rest of you all will come at three at the time, so the boat won't be too heavy. Bombur, since you're so fat you will cross last and alone."

Bombur wasn't too pleased with that decision. "I don't like always being last," he grumbled. "Why can't it be somebody else's turn today?"

"If you weren't so fat you wouldn't have to go last," Kili teased.

"We don't have any oars," Bilbo cried out. "How do we plan to push the boat back to the bank then?"

"Here," Balin said, handing Allie and Bilbo some big enough branches that he had found on the ground. "You could use this."

And like that they were off and it didn't took long until they were all safely on the far bank across the enchanted stream. Bombur was scrambling out of the boat, when the unimaginable happened. There was a strange sound of flying hooves on the path nearby. Out the dim light came the shape of a deer and it came towards the company, knocking some of them over.

While Thorin shot at the deer as it went across the stream, there came a shout from Allie. "Bombur has fallen in the stream!"

"He's drowning!" Bilbo cried out in fear.

There was no lie there. Bombur had stumbled and had accidentally thrust the boat away with his foot. He had toppled backwards into the black water, while the boat went down the current and was out of sight.

They could still make out the shape of the dwarf his ginger beard as they ran to the bank. Fili quickly threw a rope with a hook attached onto it towards him. Bombur managed to catch it, and they were able to pull the dwarf back to the shore. Poor Bombur was completely drenched from his hair to his boots, but that was not what worried them.

As they laid him on the bank, the dwarf had already fallen fast asleep. There was no chance for them to wake Bombur in this state.

"What do we do now?" Ori quipped.

"Curse the heavy fool," Dwalin growled. "He should've stayed away from all the pastries and pies. Now have no chance but to carry him."

With the boat gone there was no chance for them to return to the other side of the stream. They were stuck here and they had no other choice than to go forwards. They felt their hope fading when they heard the soft sound of blowing horns in the woods. Bombur meanwhile slept on with a smile on his face.

Before them on the path appeared a white deer, followed by a hind and fawns as white as snow where the hart was as dark at the enchanted water. The bright deer almost seemed to glow with brightness in the shadows.

There was no time for Thorin or Allie to say something, because three of the dwarves were already firing arrow's from their bows. No one was able to aim their mark. The deer had already finished between the trees as if they hadn't even been here at all.

"Stop firing!" Allie shouted at them. She feared that the dwarves had already wasted all their arrows that Beorn had gifted them with and that turned out to be the case. Now they wouldn't be able to hunt should they come across a deer again here during their stay.

* * *

For about four days the dwarves took turn in groups of four to carry their sleeping company member. Allie had offered to take part in these shifts to help with carry Bombur, but the dwarves had told her there was no need for her to contribute. She was sure they thought she wasn't strong enough to do so.

As the days went on Allie felt herself growing more tired. This place gave her a constant state of anxiety. Not knowing where they were going, if they would even survive this place, or what could possibly be out here, caused her to worry a lot. She kept it to herself, not wanting to burden the others with it.

There was a slight change in the forest. Most of the trees here were beeches. The shadow here wasn't so deep and there was no undergrowth. In places they could see either side of the path. There was a breath of air and a few leaves fell from the trees, a sign that autumn was near. The only sound that was heard was that of their heavy boots crushing on the dead leaves on the ground.

Bombur kept sleeping, and not once did he wake. Whenever Allie heard the sound of laughter in the distance she froze. There seemed to be singing as well. From the sound it was obvious that this didn't belong to goblins. The singing was beautiful and it could only belong to one race.

"Elves," Allie stated in amazement as she listened to the eerie beautiful noise.

The company went on and found their path downwards. The forest changed again and they were in a valley which was almost entirely filled with enormous oaks that stood everywhere.

"Does this accursed forest ever end?" Thorin grumbled in annoyance. "We must send someone to climb a tree to see if he can get his head above the canopy to have a look around. Best choose the tallest tree over there."

Because only two people were light enough to get into the tree, that left Allie and Bilbo exchanging a look. Allie wanted to go, feeling the need to do something about getting out of this forest.

But Bilbo disagreed and was one step ahead of Allie. "I'll go," he determined, not giving Allie a chance to argue with him and she watched with a heavy hearth how he began to climb into the branches. When he was out of sight Allie dared to look away again.

She wasn't sure as to why Bilbo was waking up so many emotions inside of her but he seemed to be a constant occupation in her mind. She knew that she worried herself about his well-being, despite what happened between them. That hadn't changed. She just wanted what was best for Bilbo, and not for him to risk his life.

Bilbo returned in fifteen minutes. He was hot and out of breath from the climb and scratched the back of his head. "The forest goes on forever and ever in all directions. What can we do?" he asked them after he had given his report.

There was only one thing that they could do, and that was to keep going. The dwarves growled as they picked up Bombur and kept going.


	23. Interrupting a feast

**Chapter 23: Interrupting a feast**

Allie let out an expressed sigh when she found the bottom on her water-skin. Their bags were now incredibly heavy for they had just eaten the last of their food. Everyone was gnawingly hungry. Because of that reason most of the dwarves were not in their best mood. Therefore Allie took a good distance from Kili's glares, and Dwalin's frowns.

Then it started to rain which was a small blessing. As it was dropping heavily on the forest ground Allie spread her arms, feeling the rain seep into her hair. It had been so long that she had a good chance to bathe, that the rain felt refreshing. This seemed to lift her spirit a little bit, despite them running out of water and food. The rain on her face felt incredibly nice.

"You've always liked rain," Balin said to her with a grin. "I remember you running on the streets once when you were little during a storm. I thought your parents were going insane."

Allie chuckled at the memory. "I do remember that."

Then there was a low growl from Bombur. He had woken up unexpectedly. He scratched his head as if he simply woken from a nap. It seemed that the dwarf wasn't able to remember anything that had happened since they had started their journey last May. He was able to talk about them all meeting at Bag End, but after that there was a huge gap in his memory.

At the mention of no food the dwarf's mood soured. "Why did I even wake up?" he cried out, covering his face. "I was having such wonderful dreams I tell you. I dreamed that I was walking in forest rather similar to this one, only this one was lit with torches on the trees and there was lamps swinging from branches. Fires were burning on the ground. There even seemed to be a feast going on. It didn't stop. The woodland king was wearing a crown of leaves and there as lots of merry singing. And the best thing about it all was the uncountable amount of food and drink they had to offer."

"That seems like you're refereeing to Thranduil," Allie pointed out, earning a scowl from her father.

"There's no need for him to describe the food," Kili grumbled, clutching his empty stomach. "We've heard enough."

"We are all quite annoyed with you as it is," Thorin said to Bombur. "There is no pleasure in having to carry you around this cursed forest for weeks of shortcomings."

"Exactly! Let your legs take their share. We've carried you far enough as it is."

"You've all got to see this," Fili told there. "There is a light up there."

Everyone looked to see where the young dwarf was pointing at. There was a bright twinkle in the dark of the forest. There even appeared another one and everyone got to their feet. The light was bright in front of them and left from the path. When they came closer to it they saw that torches and fires were burning under the trees, but it was a good distance from the path.

"This looks an awful lot like my dream," Bombur huffed. He intended to run straight off towards the light, but Dwalin pulled him back.

"We have to stay on the path," Allie said calmly.

"There would be no point if having a feast if we would never return from it alive," Thorin responded grimly.

"But without a feast we won't stay alive much longer anyway," Bombur said. "We need the food." Allie saw Bilbo nodding in agreement from the corner of her eyes.

This argument went on for a great deal. In the end they decided to send forwards a few dwarves to get closer to the lights and to find more about the elves. Then came the next argument about who to send first. No one seemed desperate enough to risk their lives and never finding his friends again. Later on it was their hunger that won them over because they knew that they needed something to eat. Therefore they all left the path together.

Allie kept hearing the voices of warning from Beorn and Gandalf in the back of her head for wandering from the path, but she didn't find the strength to say something about it.

After a great deal of sneaking and crawling closer they peered around the trunks. They looked into a clearing where some trees seemed to have been felled and the ground was leveled. There were so many elves there and they were all dressed in green and brown, and really blended in with the colors of the forest. They sat together in a great circle on a fallen tree. In the middle there was a fire.

The thing that really took their breath away was that the elves were all having a joyful time. They had plenty of food that they ate and there was no shortage to something to drink.

The scent of the different kinds of food was making Allie's mouth water. Clearly it had the same effect on the rest of the company for they didn't wait to come up with a plan, but simply got onto their feet and rushed forwards into the ring of elves, begging them for some food. Immediately the light went out as if someone was controlling it with magic. Even the fire went out and there was some glittering sparks as it vanished.

They were lost in a completely darkness and they were unable to find each other. It took them a while of bumping into another before they and stumbling over fallen logs, they had managed to walk away for almost a mile. Since they could see each other they had to count each other by touch and they came to the conclusion that they were all still here.

By the time they had everyone complete they had quite forgotten in which direction the path lay and they were hopelessly lost, for their plan had failed terribly.

They had no other choice for it but to settle down for the where they were standing. There was no chance for them to search on the ground for any food, for they all feared becoming separated again. That was something they had to prevent.

Allie had no idea who she lying next to and it troubled her a bit. She had her eyes closed and was trying desperately to drift asleep, ignoring the sounds of the forest. She had just starting to feel drowsy when she felt how a hand was placed on her abdomen. At that her body froze, for she didn't know who this was. Allie then was able to recognize his person by the strong scent of pine cone and apple that she smelled, and she knew it could only belong to one person.

 _It was Bilbo..._

He was the only one who smelled like that and she knew his scent well for she had hugged him a couple of times. From the sound of his steady and deep breathing she could that Bilbo was asleep and had no idea what he was doing. Allie wasn't so sure how to feel about this for it puzzled her.

She and Bilbo had been tense around each other ever since they had left Beorn's lodge and now he was pretty much holding her in his sleep. Allie could also hear her heart beating frantically in her chest and she was glad that it was so dark here, so that no one was able to see her blushing like that. She was enjoying it.

There was something about Bilbo holding her like that which gave the feeling that she was safe. She knew that meant nothing in a forest like Mirkwood, but it was sweet.

While Allie lay there with Bilbo so close to her she realized that she liked having Bilbo with her and how at ease she felt. No man had ever done that to her before and Allie knew well enough what this meant. She liked Bilbo, an awful lot it seemed. There was just something about the Halfling that allured her. Allie knew herself well enough to say that she wouldn't allow any other man to touch her like that if she didn't care for him. Even if the touch was only innocent as Bilbo's was.

Allie was sure that if Bilbo were awake he wouldn't have done this. So Allie did nothing and allowed the Halfling to hold her as she focused on his breathing and the warmth of his touch.

Sadly enough their sleep didn't last long and it was Dori, who had first watch, who woke them with a loud whisper. "The lights are coming out again over there. There are more now than ever before."

Up the whole company went. Allie was somewhat saddened when Bilbo unknowingly removed his hand, but said no word about it. She didn't dare to. As they checked they saw that Dori had been right. Not far from them there were scores of twinkling lights, and they heard the cheerful voices and laughter of the elves again.

Slowly they crept towards them. They went in a single line, touching the back of the one in front of them. This time Thorin warned them. "There will be no rushing towards them this time. You will stay where you are until I say so. Mr. Baggins shall go alone to talk with them. He wouldn't scare the elves."

Bilbo couldn't argue with them. When they reached the edge of the circle Bilbo was being pushed from behind. He had no chance of putting his ring on and Allie saw him searching for it in the pocket of his waistcoat. Bilbo stumbled forwards into the full blaze of the fire and the torches. Just like before all the lights went out again and there was more complete darkness.

This time it took them longer before they were all collected, but they remained hidden in the dark. The only real struggle they had was finding Bilbo, for he had gone missing. Allie didn't dare to call his name in the darkness, whereas the dwarves began to shout in the hope to find him.

"I can't wait to leave this dreadful forest," Allie cursed under her breath. "This place is driving me bonkers." She was simply hungry, annoyed and thirsty. She really wanted to find Bilbo again.

Allie refused to give up the search, almost desperately looking everywhere that she could. Bilbo couldn't just disappear like that. He couldn't be gone. It was just wasn't possible and she didn't want to accept that.

"Allie, lass," Balin intervened. "It's best that you stop the search. You cannot find him without any light."

Allie wanted to shout at that reaction, but she swallowed it. "I can't just give up like that," she muttered in reply. "He might be in danger."

"There's nothing else to be done," Bofur came between them. "We best continue the search when we have some light and we can actually see each other."

That was not what Allie wanted to hear at all and she felt her hands throbbing with anger. She knew they were right. It was impossible to see anything at the moment and she wouldn't be able to find Bilbo this way. That didn't mean that she didn't feel incredibly useless because she couldn't do anything to help Bilbo. He would be out there in this terrifying forest by himself.

There was little time for Allie to argue further because she felt something hairy creeping passed her legs and she shrieked. This couldn't be a dwarf, for they weren't as hairy. Whatever it was it had grabbed hold of her leg. Because it wasn't possible to see anything she had no idea what it was.

"Spiders!" Kili cried out.

"Giant spiders!" Filli added.

More spiders had appeared and were now tucking and pulling at the dwarves. It was no lie that they were gigantic, for they easily pulled the dwarves along with them. They made a lot of hissing noises as they did so.

While the spider above Allie dragged her along, Allie somehow grabbed her dagger and used it to stab the spider in its chest. At least she assumed she was aiming right, for she couldn't see it.

It seemed to have little effect on the spider and Allie was now lifted in the air. Allie could only let out a scream of pain when she felt the spider's fang piece the skin of her right arm.

She stopped fighting for the venom began to take effect and she was carried away deeper into the forest.


	24. Atterkop and an Elven King

**Chapter 24: Atterkop and an Elven King**

The next time that Allie opened her eyes she was overwhelmed with nausea. It was dawn and there was some light for her to see. The fact that she was tightly wrapped in a sticky web made the chills run down her spine. She tried to wiggle around it, but it was of no use. Because there was only a little amount of air in there, it was such a struggle to breath properly.

Her hands were stuck and there was no way for her to reach her dagger so that she could escape. The only thing that she could do was trying to focus on her breathing, making sure that she could last in here as long as possible. Allie was bathed in cold sweat and she felt disgusted.

From where she was hanging she heard some of the spiders moving around the trees. Their strange chirping like noise was one that was going to haunt her for a very long time.

Allie didn't think that she was going to make it out of this cocoon alive. Her thoughts wandered to the rest of the company and she could only hope they were off better than she was and that they perhaps already had escaped. She had no idea if that was possible. As Allie thought of Bilbo, her chest tightened. It was still unknown if the Halfling was even alive, for they hadn't been able to find him.

If Bilbo was in fact alive she hoped that he would be far away from here so that she spiders couldn't reach him. That would bring her some reassurance to know that Bilbo was safe, but she didn't know. It worried her.

While Allie was so occupied with trying to breathe properly and using her oxygen in a thoughtful way she didn't hear the sound of someone approaching. Bilbo had survived his ordeal in the darkness and followed the company. By wearing the ring that he had found in the Misty Mountains the spiders couldn't see him and he was able to sneak closer.

Bilbo had already freed two of the dwarves when he had gotten up in the trees. Kili and Fili were already free, and tried to free the rest of the dwarves.

Bilbo had used his newly found sword to cut through the webbing of the cocoon that Allie was trapped in, creating a large enough hole for her to fit through. He helped her as she emerged through it.

"You alright?" he asked with concern as Allie coughed.

"I've felt better," she said weakly and she wasn't lying.

Bilbo could tell that she wasn't in the greatest shape. "I'm going to help you with getting down, but you have to climb the trunk yourself," he told her.

Allie nodded. "'S fine." She slurred her words.

There was no choice for Bilbo to come to her aid once more. He saw that the rest of the dwarves all had been freed and down on the ground. Bilbo didn't want to risk Allie falling down, not when she looked as if she would pass out any second.

The tree trunk that they descended down from was big enough for them to pass next to each other. He held Allie by the back of her shirt as they slowly went down. He could tell that this cost Allie so much of her strength. He wasn't sure how much of that spider venom had gotten into her blood, but it was definitely taking effect on her.

He had to pull her back three times when she had nearly slipped down, but he wasn't going to let her go. He would never forgive herself if he did so. He had no idea how long it took them, but in the end he had gotten her down safely. Thorin and Dwalin had been there to catch her and brought her onto her feet.

Thorin patted Bilbo's shoulder thankfully for saving his daughter's live, for he knew how important Allie was to him.

"She's very sick from the venom," Oin told them, examining Allie.

Everyone could see that there barely was any color in Allie's skin, which was sheathed in sweat. She was shivering and her usually bright eyes looked dim. Allie then went to hurl her empty stomach near the foot of the tree.

Thorin was there to hold her hair up, and reassuring her. "How long will she be like this?" he asked with great concern. It pained him to see his daughter like this.

"I wouldn't expect too long," Oin said. "She needs to get the venom out of her blood."

"We need to get out of here first," Dwalin said grimly.

"There are more spiders out there," Fili agreed.

"We have to get Allie out of here!" Thorin responded. "She's in no condition to fight spiders herself."

"There are too many," Kili said.

Allie thought that differently, for her hands had already gone to grab her daggers. Thorin's eyes bulged slightly when he saw what for design her new daggers were, for he hadn't seen them before. "You are not fighting," he warned her. They were able to hear the spiders closing in on them.

"I'm going to put on the ring and draw them off," Bilbo said to them. "You all better go to the left there. That must be near the place where we last came across the elf-fires."

The dwarves understood what Bilbo said, even with their dizzy heads. The spiders were drawing their circle even closer. Bilbo suddenly slipped on his ring and vanished before them. Allie heard the dwarves around her gasp at the display. She had been the only one so far to see the effect of the magical ring.

"Come on, lass," Balin said, helping Allie onto her feet. "I've got you." The old dwarf had one arm wrapped around her, but so had Thorin. Together they carefully tried to move Allie away from the spiders. She was still slumping with her head and they had to keep her upwards, preventing her from falling over.

They reached the side of the elven fire that Bilbo had mentioned. They cautiously sat Allie with her back against a tree so that she could get some rest. It wouldn't be wise to let her walk if she would tipple over like that. Thorin sat down beside her and Allie rested her head on his shoulder, as she always did.

"It's going to be alright," he promised her, kissing her forehead. "We're going to get through this."

Allie said nothing and instead closed her eyes. Because she was still so nauseous that her head continued to spin and it hurt less this way. Thorin simply continued to hold her like that and Allie seemed to appreciate it, despite her silence.

After a while Bilbo reappeared, taking off the ring. He told the dwarves in great detail what he had done with the spiders. He also told them about the magical ring he had found in the goblin tunnels. Against everyone's surprise Allie had gotten up, not stumbling anymore and had rushed over to Bilbo to wrap her arms around him. The person who had last expected it was Bilbo. His body froze at her touch, but after a few seconds he returned it. He knew that everyone was seeing them.

Bilbo wasn't sure if Allie was acting this way because of the spider venom that was still in her system, but he didn't ask her about it. It caught him by surprise how comfortable it felt to hold Allie so close against him as her curls tickled his chin.

Bilbo realized that he was sad that it had only been a dream a few weeks ago, for he had felt himself happy with Allie being his wife and raising his nephew with her. It seemed so simple, but it turned to be exactly what he wanted. If Thorin knew that Bilbo was fantasizing about his daughter that way he would certainly use that sword of his to put an end to that. Bilbo had to make sure that everyone thought that he no intention towards Allie at all, for the sake of both their lives.

"Thank you," she said, sounding sincere. "You are kind of special."

Slowly, he pulled away, not daring to look Allie in the eye. "I just did what needed to be done," he responded dryly.

He could see the faintest moment of hurt in Allie's face, before she bit her lip and stepped away from him. "You did a great thing," Thorin said, patting Bilbo's shoulder again. He even smiled at the Halfling in fondness. Bilbo felt only guiltier for his affections towards Allie because of that. The dwarf king had no idea, nor did Allie. Bilbo tried to keep it that way.

"It was nothing," Bilbo said with a shrug.

The company went onwards from that, trying to create some distance between them and the spiders. Since they hadn't eaten and drank anything for quite some while most of their throats were aching from the thirst. It definitely didn't improve their sour moods.

Out of nowhere elves leaped from the trees. There were more elves there and they closed in on the company members. Since the dwarves had lost their bows and arrows that Beorn had given them, they had no chance of fighting the elves and their bows. They were closed in and there was no way out of here.

Before they were able to process this, the elves already began to tie the hands of the dwarves. "A woman among many dwarven men," one of the elves said. He was tall and had long blonde hair. Even in the dull light of Mirkwood it pretty much glowed.

Allie knew that he wasn't Thranduil, but he was pretty similar to the elven King. That meant that he had to be the King's son, and she knew his name, Legolas.

"Is she even a dwarf?" another elf questioned. She shared the same height with Legolas, and had long auburn hair that was braided into a beautiful way. She had a very lovely face, and Allie didn't question that this elf wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she had to. As Allie looked at hair from the elf, and then looked back at her own tangled mess her confidence shrunk.

Allie straightened herself, despite that she still didn't feel too great. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't look much like them," the female dwarf replied. "You share their heights, but that's where the similarities end. Do you even have a beard?"

"Tauriel!" Legolas scolded. "Enough of that. We better take them to my father. He'll decide what to do with these dwarves."

The elf named Tauriel then gave the order for the company to be blindfolded. While Allie waited for her turn she noticed that they were missing someone. "Where's Bilbo?" she asked them.

There was no time for them to search, because their sight was covered and they couldn't see where they were being taken. Allie felt how one of those elven guards pushed her, but there was no way for her to stop this. They clearly weren't allowed to see where they were being taken.

While they walked Allie wondered where Bilbo could've gone off to. She hoped that he had managed to escape from the elves and had somehow put on that ring of his. Since she couldn't be certain she could only hope for the best and that the Halfling had gone off the opposite direction, and wasn't going towards Mirkwood.

Unaware of how time had elapsed between their capture and being guided into the elven kingdom, Allie grew more restless. She was familiar that Thranduil wasn't the easiest to deal with, that was a trait he obviously shared with her father.

When Allie's blindfold was removed she blinked away the light. The elves had guided her up unto a large platform inside an enormous hall. Allie wasn't sure whether or not happened to be under the ground, but she thought they were. The rest of the dwarves had been taken elsewhere, and only her father stood next to her. Candles and torches bathed the hall in great light.

When the elven King descended down the steps from his throne Allie gulped. She had never seen the elven king with her own eyes, only from drawings. Those didn't do him justice at all. Despite Thranduil being thousands of years old he still looked regal, and graceful. The grey robe that he wore sparkled in the light. And the crown on his head only fitted his position.

"I assume that you found our trespassers," the elf king said.

Thorin was now eyeing Thranduil with resentful hatred. Thranduil too was displeased to see Thorin here and didn't even try to hide his true emotions. Allie knew that they hadn't seen each other since the day that Smaug had taken Erebor and the elves hadn't come to the dwarves aid. That was something that was still incredibly sensitive for the dwarves. Allie wondered if this anger would ever fade between the two races.

"It's been a long time since I've last seen you, Thorin, son of Thrain," Thranduil went on.

"You mean since you betrayed our people and refused to come to our aid?" Thorin sneered back.

Allie sighed, knowing that this was going to be an exhausting argument. They were both equally as stubborn so this wouldn't go too well it seemed.

But Thranduil had focused his attention on Allie for now. "I've heard stories about you, Allie Fairchild."

Allie's blue eyes widened at this notion. "What could you've possibly heard from me, _your Highness?_ " She called the title with a slight undertone. This was the elf who had betrayed them so long ago after all. She had to remain vigilant.

"Everyone knows of the daughter of the dwarven King from Erebor, with a Halfling mother from the Shire. It is clear as daylight that you look more like your mother than your father, and I suppose that's for the better." He was smirking at the taunting towards Thorin, who glared at the elf in return.

"Is that all you've heard?" Allie wondered.

Thranduil seemed amused. "You do have your father's feisty attitude, but with your mother's kindness. It suits you." His gaze then fell upon the elven dagger Allie was still holding. He took it from her, observing it. "Where did you get this?"

Allie straightened herself. "It was gifted to me by the Lady Galadriel during our stay in Rivendell," she answered honestly.

"Did she visit you in a dream?" Thranduil asked her. Allie nodded. "I thought so. Only those who are bestowed with the title ' _elf friend_ ' are able to wield such daggers. She must've deemed you worthy of that. And I don't think that the Lady Galadriel misjudged your character."

Allie wasn't too sure if the man was doubting her spirit or not, but she said nothing. He gave her dagger back and Allie held it tightly by the hilt.

"Where are my kin?" Thorin wanted to know, not even bothering to be polite.

"My son has taken them to the dungeons," Thranduil told him. "They won't be harmed."

"And you think that I take the word of an elf for that?" Thorin sneered. "Do forgive me for not trusting the elf who let our people suffer like that and did nothing about the dragon."

Allie let out another expressed sigh as the argument went on.

Thranduil's glare was icy. "I would talk about dragon fire. I know well enough it's wrath and ruin. I myself have faced...the great serpents of the North," Thranduil responded, his face displaying pain from the memory. "I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, be he refused to listen. So tell me. Why are you here in Mirkwood?"

Thorin exchanged a brief look with Allie, to let her know not to tell anything to the elves about the quest they were on. If he knew where they were headed he would surely stop them.

"Were planning to visit some distant relations in the Iron Hills," Thorin answered. "We thought that through Mirkwood would be the shortest way."

That didn't please Thranduil. "Then why did you and your kind three times tried to attack my people during their merrymaking?"

"We did not attack the elves," Thorin responded. "We only came to beg, because we were starving."

The elven king continued to glare. "You will tell me the truth dwarf. Why were you spying on my people?" he demanded to know.

"We did no such thing," Thorin corrected. We merely were looking for food and drink, because we were starving."

"What is your exact reason for coming to Mirkwood?" he asked angrily.

Thorin wisely kept his mouth, and didn't want to say another word about it. The only thing he did say was a curse in Khuzdul. " _Ishkh khakfe andu null_."

Thranduil had enough of it. Allie didn't know if the elven king knew Khuzdul and knew what this meant. He was angry anyway. "Fine," he muttered. "Take him away then. Let's see if he'll tell the truth, even if he has to wait a hundred years. I am patient enough to wait."

Allie watched with a heavy hearth how her father was being brought away by a few elven guards. With Thorin and the rest of the company in the dungeon she was all by herself, surrounded by elves. She wasn't too sure how she had to feel about that, but it was slightly uneasy.

"And what about, Lady Fairchild?" Tauriel asked. Allie assumed that she was some sort of captain of the guard for she seemed to be in charge.

Thranduil nodded. "Oh, yes. Because there is some blood of the Shire-folk in your veins I will welcome you into Mirkwood as one of our royal guests. You shall be treated with respect until we've figured this all out."

And at that moment Allie didn't know what was going on anymore.


	25. Coming clear

**monkeybaby: thank you! I'm glad that you liked it :)**

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 **Chapter 25: Coming clear**

Allie was restlessly tapping with her fingers on the wooden table. About an hour ago Tauriel had brought her here to this enormous guest chamber in the western wing of the Woodland Realm. Because the furniture was made for the elves, everything was far too big for her. Her feet didn't even reach the floor.

Since she was here as a royal guest she had servants to tend her every needs outside the door. They had placed a platter of various foods on the table and a jug filled with ice water, which looked clean and refreshing. It hadn't taken long until Allie had finished the entire platter. She had been so hungry and thirsty for days now that it felt incredibly good to not have that feeling anymore.

Now that she was all alone with her thoughts she couldn't help but worry about the rest of her company. She hoped that they were treated fairly in the dungeons. Allie knew elves well enough to know that they would provide them with enough food and water, so that was a small reassurance. Still it didn't sit right with her that they were stuck behind bars while she was free to do as she pleased.

Then there was the fact that it was still unclear where Bilbo was. She prayed that he wasn't killed during their capture and had run away. Or perhaps he was still here in the Woodland Realm, using that ring of his to go by unnoticed. Despite Allie liking Bilbo and wanting to see him again, she hoped that he wouldn't be close to these elves. They were indeed far more dangerous than those they had encountered in Rivendell. Bilbo wouldn't stand a chance against them if he was caught.

Allie had the journal that Ori had gifted her folded open in front of her and was studying the drawing the young dwarf had made. Seeing her and Bilbo in such cheerful spirit pained her because that hadn't been the case for weeks now. She missed being so happy around the Halfling. She just missed him which wasn't strange if you had developed strong feelings for someone.

She kept the journal on the desk and then took off her clothing, leaving only her shirt on as she got into the bed. The mattress was surprisingly soft and it wasn't difficult to find a comfortable place underneath the cover. Because Allie hadn't had a good night's rest in such a long she fell into a dreamless sleep within minutes.

Allie wasn't aware for how she had been sleeping, but she woke up from a constant knocking on the door and it was already light in her room. Still disoriented Allie got up from the bed and answered the door. One of those elven servants stood before her and held out a piece of parchment. "I had to give this to you, Milady." He bowed.

She looked at the paper.

 _Lady Fairchild,_

 _I had received word that you are to be staying here in Mirkwood as our royal guest as long as the dwarves remain imprisoned. I am offering to show you around Mirkwood myself if you are interested to see more of the woods. If you are, do ask one of the guards to escort you to the courtyard._

 _If not I do hope to see you this evening during dinner. My father expects you to be here. I suggest that you do keep him as a friend._

 _Legolas of the Woodland Realm_

Allie hadn't expected to get a note like that, and not from the Prince of Mirkwood. Still she figured that he would be pleasant company compared to his father. Allie didn't see in any harm in getting to see more of Mirkwood. She was stuck in here anyway whilst the dwarves were being captured. This way if Legolas showed her where everything was, she might be able to conduct an escape plan one day.

"Do you wish to get dressed, Milady?" the female servant asked her.

Slowly, Allie nodded. "Y-yes. Sure."

The blonde woman bowed. "Then we will help you." In came three more female servants. Allie was ushered into a chair in front of the vanity while the elven women took charge of her clothing and her hair.

There were some clothes in the nearby closest. Just like back in Mirkwood these clothes were obviously made for elven children. That meant that they wouldn't fit Allie perfectly because she had a different body shape, but for now it would do nicely.

The women had picked out a dress for her and helped Allie into it. One of them sang a merry song in the elven language that Allie couldn't understand, but it sounded very soothing to listen to.

The dark green dress existed of large bird feathers on the front. It had ferns and a silk bodice and long sleeves. There were twigs from the forest and thorns around her neckline, going down to her waist. There was also some fur to keep her warm.

Allie wasn't sure how many feathers the dress had but it looked like it was more than a hundred. The dress was truly astonishing and Allie assumed that this was something an elven queen or princess of this kingdom would wear. No commoner would be allowed to wear this.

When Allie was comfortable in her dress they focused on her hair. They first untangled her curls, which had gotten knotted badly from the weeks of not being able to brush it. The weather sure hadn't done her hair any good.

These elven women were incredibly skilled with her hair it seemed, for they were able to weave Allie's hair in a beautiful elven style way on the back of her head. It kind of reminded Allie to when Arwen had braided her hair, for it was a bit similar.

"You look very beautiful, Milady," one of the women said.

"You look fair enough to be an elf," the other added.

That made Allie frown. "I'm not an elf. I am proud of my heritage," she made clear. "Thank you. Can any of you show me where the courtyard is?"

The black-haired woman bowed. "Of course, Milady. Follow me."

Allie walked alongside the women out of her chambers. She studied the various elven architecture. This place wasn't as detailed as Rivendell was, but there rest some darkness on these woods and Allie could feel that it was sick. This place was grim, and there wasn't much light that shone through it.

Still there was something haunting and magical about this place as well. There were elves dancing and laughing and Allie heard the sound of cheerful laughter. The servant Allie was with had guided her to a courtyard. It was surrounded by large brown trees and there was a waterfall that came down in the center. It was a strange, but pleasing sight.

Allie thanked the servant as she saw Legolas standing near the waterfall. "Lady Fairchild," he greeted, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I wouldn't waste the opportunity of getting to know these woods better," Allie replied with a smile.

"Fair enough. I shall show you the wonders that Mirkwood has to offer," Legolas said to her. "I'd ask you to go out for a ride later today, but you're obviously not dressed for that."

"Perhaps another time."

And so Legolas began his tour of the Woodland Realm. He told Allie all kinds of stories about it as he showed her all the things that they could see here. He escorted her to the training ground, the library, the feasting area, and the hidden meadows.

While they walked Allie tried to memorize the route he had taken her, but since Mirkwood existed of so many different steps and paths it was becoming a blur inside her head. She doubted that she would be able to find her way around here if she were alone. It would take some time for her to get used to the paths.

When they went passed the dungeons Allie felt her hope fading. The prisons were quite a distance away from her chambers. There were many guards on duty outside. There was no way for her to sneak into it unnoticed.

The day basically went on like that and Allie had to admit that Mirkwood definitely had some charms left, despite it being sick. Legolas had guided her to all the admirable places that Mirkwood had and she had enjoyed seeing them.

By the time they had returned to the great hall it had the light had already gone. There were fires that showed them where they needed to go. As they entered the hall they found that the large dining table in the center had already been filled with all kinds of food.

There were lots of elves gathered around the table and Allie assumed that they were some sort of council. Allie took a seat next to an elven woman with gorgeous brown hair.

"Lady Fairchild," Thranduil greeted from the throne he sat in on the head of the table. "I'd take it you had a good day exploring Mirkwood." He was wearing a similar robe to the one he had worn the previous day.

Allie hadn't counted on the interest of the elven King, and hid her astonishment. "I did, Your Grace. There is some beauty still inside your kingdom," she replied truthfully. "Your son was kind enough to show it to me."

"Yes, Legolas is generous like that," the king responded.

Allie felt bold enough to ask him another question. "What happens to my kin?"

Thranduil didn't seem pleased with the mention and frowned back at her. "The dwarves will stay where they are until they tell me why they were trespassing in my land," he clarified, taking a sip from his wine.

"And what about me?" Allie asked. "Are you just going to keep me here like a pet?"

The elven king's lip twitched, but not in a good way. "You are not a pet, Lady Fairchild. We've only treated you just and with respect."

Allie took a bite from her salad. "That may be true, but I'm not allowed to go anywhere I please. Some people would call that imprisonment."

She heard some of the elves on the council gasp at the boldness of her comment. No one would dare to speak to the King like that and would get away with it. But clearly there was something different about Allie.

"I've told you that you are to stay here until I know why you and those filthy dwarves were here. You could just tell me now," Thranduil went on, but Allie simply glared at him. "Or not. See it's not up to me for how long you'll be staying here."

"Then why didn't you throw me in the dungeon with the rest of my filthy dwarves, as you call them," Allie said. "Why keep me here? I hope it's not because I'm a woman -"

"That's not the case at all," Thranduil almost snapped. "I wouldn't be so cruel as you dwarves claim that I am. You are bestowed with the title Elf-friend, which means that you are to be a guest in all the elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth. I can't throw you in the dungeon, unless you committed a crime."

"Didn't I trespass your kingdom?" Allie was a kind soul and it would take a lot to anger her, but the way that the elven king was behaving towards her and her kin caused her hands to shake with rage. She could see why the dwarves had so much distaste for him. Still there was a part in Allie that believed that there was a good side to the elf as well. She just hasn't witnessed it yet.

"Allie," Legolas pretty much scolded. "Enough with the questions. You are forgetting that you are speaking to a King."

Allie hadn't forgotten. She knew well enough to who she was talking. Allie saw that everyone was looking at her with a shocked expression on their face. Instead of making the entire situation any worse Allie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I do apologize, your Highness," she said, biting her lip. "I didn't intent to lash out. I just want to know what happens to my kin."

Thranduil took another sip from his wine, his eyes never gone from Allie. "It is as I said before. They will stay there until they tell me why they're here," he explained.

Allie decided to not delve any deeper into the matter because it would be pointless. There was no way that she would convince Thranduil into freeing the dwarves. He'd much sooner set them on fire or something. That's why Allie kept her lips pressed together, and said nothing more.

During the rest of the dinner Allie simply listening to the rest of the elves discussing political matters with each other which she didn't understand. It made her feel out of her element and Allie had never been so homesick to her kin before as she had now.

As soon as the dinner was over Allie returned to her chambers. Of course she was being escorted by some of the servants. They went into the room with her and helped Allie out of her dress until she wore nothing but a simple nightgown. Then they left and Allie was completely alone in the room.

At least that was what she thought. Allie wasn't aware that there was someone else, for she wasn't able to see this person.

"Allie," the voice said.

Allie gasped, spinning around and saw how Bilbo took off his ring and appeared right in front the vanity. His hair was slightly disheveled and his clothes were still covered in the cobweb from the spiders.

"Bilbo!" Allie exclaimed happily at the sight of the Halfling, wanting to pull him into a warm embrace. When she remembered that Bilbo probably wouldn't appreciate that, she stopped. "I'd thought that you were lost somewhere. What has happened?"

"When I heard the elves coming I put on my ring and managed to get away without them seeing me. I followed you all here. I saw that dwarves were being brought to the dungeons to the west. I found out that you weren't with them and I went to look for you. I honestly had no idea that you would be here amongst the elves. Why didn't Thranduil put you in the dungeon with the rest of them?"

Allie sat down on the bed. "I was bestowed with the title Elf-friend by the Lady Galadriel a few weeks prior. She had visited me in my dreams when we were in Rivendell and had given me a pair of elven daggers. Because of that title I am to be treated as an honored guest in all the elven kingdoms in Middle-Earth. Thranduil has to obey that. That's why I'm here surrounded by elves. I am not allowed to leave Mirkwood until he knows the purpose of why we're here," she clarified. "I don't like it at all."

"So you are just treated as a guest here?"

"Yes, I am," Allie replied. "The thing is that I hate being here by myself as a sort of pet from Thranduil while they are being held behind bars. It's not right."

"I do understand your concern. I visited the dungeons earlier today and saw that the elves have provided them with enough food and water," Bilbo explained. "They could be treated worse."

"But they're still being captured, Bilbo," Allie disagreed. "I'd hoped to see them, but it is impossible to get past the guards. I've checked it myself."

"There is one way," Bilbo said, earning Allie's curiosity. "If I were to take you there myself. You know that the ring can make us both invisible. That way we should be able to get inside the prison without anyone seeing us."

"I do like the sound of the idea. There's just one problem. I know for sure that the guards outside my door and the servants that are constantly passing through the corridor are to report my presence to Thranduil. If he'd noticed me gone who would know what he would do to the dwarves."

Bilbo was silent for a few seconds. "We'll think of something. I want to help you with seeing your father." His gaze then fell upon the drawing that lay on the desk that Ori had made of the two of them. Allie had forgotten that she had left it there and that Bilbo wasn't aware that she was keeping it. "H-how?"

"Ori made it of us while we were in Rivendell," Allie cleared up. "He gifted it to me last week because he saw that I liked it."

"We look happy," Bilbo said, studying the drawing.

"Yes. We were."

Bilbo put the drawing down, meeting Allie's gaze. He licked his lips and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Allie. I want to talk with you about what happened between us," he began shyly. Allie nodded for him to continue as he sat down next to her on the bed. They were both able to feel the tension shifting between them. For weeks now they hadn't done anything about this situation, and that was mainly because they were continuously surrounded by the dwarves. This was the first time that they were completely alone. "I know that what I did to you back at Beorn's lodge was wrong and I wanted to apologize for it. I regret hurting you like that because I have the feeling as if I've taken advantage of you."

Allie was a bit blown away by what he said. She looked down at her hands for a moment as she fidgeted with her fingers. "There is no need to apologize for that. I do appreciate you telling me this," she began. "You didn't take advantage from me, nor did you hurt me. I care about you a great deal and I've spent the last few weeks worrying myself sick that you'd hated me or something because I had ran away after the kiss. I didn't mean to do that. I was just so confused, it wasn't that I hated it at all. I've thought about it for a long time and I guess the kiss was simply meant to happen."

Bilbo's mouth hang agape. He wasn't sure as if he heard her correctly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Bilbo, I'm falling in love with you," Allie blurted out, completely astounding Bilbo. She saw his pupils widen at her words. "I mean it when I say that I don't want to imagine a world without you and the thought of you ever being with another woman hurts me. I didn't know what my feelings were at first for I had always cared for you ever since we met and as time went on those feelings developed into something more. You know about me and Nyad. What I felt for him was nothing compared to what I feel for you now. I'm head over heels for you."

Allie hadn't planned to speak about her heart so openly, and now that Bilbo was staring at her like that she kind of regretted saying it. Clearly he didn't feel the same way about her. Why on earth would he possibly reciprocate those feelings? She felt her hands getting somewhat sweaty as she waited for Bilbo to turn her down. _Allie, you're such a fool_. She had made a big mistake by coming clean to him.

"Allie," he began quietly, taking her hands. Her icy blue eyes nervously shifted to meet his gaze and Bilbo could tell that she looked slightly terrified by his answer. "You've no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that, Allie. To tell you the truth I've never came across a woman like you. You've fascinated me from the moment I've first laid my eyes on you. There is not a day that I don't think about you and for the last couple of weeks this has only intensified. I was fearful that you wanted nothing to do with and that you wouldn't return my affection. I even thought that I had scared you away with my actions. One thing I know for sure, and that is that I'm falling for you, Allie Fairchild. I am completely besotted."

"If you don't kiss me again I'll -"

Allie's words were silenced when Bilbo pressed his lips against hers, which was a welcome surprise. Her fingers threaded into the soft strands of his auburn hair as she eased into the kiss. The only thing she could feel were Bilbo's lips gently moving against hers, Bilbo's hand against her face and it felt as if she was walking on a cloud.

"Allie, what does this mean now?" Bilbo asked as she pulled back a few inches. He was able to see twinkles in her eyes and the blissful expression on her face. Even in the dim light in the room it struck Bilbo how happy she looked. He knew now that she had been hoping for this moment as much as him.

She placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Well... We've just confessed our feelings to each other, we shared a kiss out of our free will. I'd say that we were courting," Allie replied, playing with a curl from his hair.

Bilbo could only grin at that. "I'd like that, Allie." Bilbo then took his time to tell her about the dream about them being married in the Shire and raising his still unborn nephew together. "I have to say that after that my feelings for you only increased. Mainly because I wanted it to be true."

He had expected that he would scare her aware with his explanation of his dream, because they had only just expressed their feelings for each other. He didn't want to rush into anything and push Allie away. From the way that his heart was beating inside his chest he knew that he wanted her stay.

"Bilbo, we will see how things go," Allie replied, still she wasn't able to get that smile of her face. "We are not rushing into things."

"Of course," Bilbo agreed. He gently pulled away, making Allie's arms fall at her side. "It's getting late. I should leave you and -'

"Don't tell me that you were planning to leave?" Allie guessed. Bilbo nodded unsure. "There's no need for you to be sleeping somewhere on the ground. There is enough space for you here. Besides I would prefer it if you stayed here, with me."

Bilbo gulped, observing the bed that they were in. "I'd thought you wanted to take -

"Relax, Bilbo," Allie said with a giggle when she noticed him backtracking like that. "I just want to sleep and hold you. That's all that I need right now."

He couldn't disagree with that and gave in. Immediately Allie threw her arms around him again and that was all that Bilbo wanted.


	26. A visit to prison

**avatarange: I've updated my fic on AO3 as well and there I've added a story where I've included all the pictures that go along with it. I do hope that will help you with envisioning the story. /works/14129937**

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 **Chapter 26: A visit to prison**

Bilbo couldn't remember the last time he had slept so great. When he woke up there was only a little amount of light in the room, suggesting that it was close to dawn. Allie had her head placed in the crook of his neck and her arm circled around his waist. She was still sleeping and Bilbo didn't dare to wake her.

It felt incredibly right to be able to hold Allie like this and he still couldn't believe that she felt the same way about him. For a minute there he had almost thought this had been another dream, but he was wide awake and Allie had asked him to spend the night here.

At the age of fifty Bilbo had never expected that he would have found love in his life. He was already way too old for hobbit standards. Most of them already had lots of children of their own and Bilbo was only just experiencing a love that felt so pure and honest. He wasn't sure as if love between two people always felt like that, but he didn't want to change a thing between him and Allie.

He felt his heart fluttering by simply observing Allie's sleeping face. There was still that doubt that lived inside his mind that made him wonder why someone like Allie would ever choose to be with him when she could do so much better. He was nothing more than a gangly hobbit who could barely defend himself, but for some reason Allie saw that there was more to him. She genuinely cared for him and Bilbo was more than grateful for this change between the two of them.

Allie stirred slightly in her sleep and Bilbo cautiously traced a pattern on her cheek. It brought a smile on Allie's lips and he knew that she was awake. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, her voice almost a mix between a growl and whisper.

"Just starting the day in a very pleasant way," Bilbo answered honestly and he meant it.

Allie hummed, content. "I was thinking about something earlier," she said. "What exactly did you see when you went up above the trees?"

"I saw trees as far as the eyes could see in every direction. I was also able to see the Lonely Mountain and a huge lake that lay before it. It was nice to see sunlight again and there were many different butterflies up there. It was a beautiful sight really."

"That sounds nice," Allie said. "We are indeed closer to Erebor than we think. It's just so foolish that we're stuck in here while we should be getting to the mountain. Every day we waste here we are getting closer to Durin's Day."

"There's still enough time for that, right?"

"Durin's Day is only a couple of weeks away, Bilbo. We don't have that much time sadly enough. Which is why we have to think of a way of getting out this dreadful forest, its driving me nuts."

"We will think of something, Allie," he responded hopefully. "First we're going to pay a visit to the dungeons today. I suggest that you inform the servants that you're going to the library today. Surely they won't follow you there, which will give us the perfect opportunity to go elsewhere without them seeing."

Allie had to say that idea wasn't a bad one. She leaned upwards so that she could look Bilbo directly into his eyes. She brought one hand up and used that to cup Bilbo's face. "So, you'll be following me then?" Bilbo nodded. "That's great. Just stay here until the servants deliver breakfast. There is no need for you to go search it yourself, there will be plenty." Allie planted a soft kiss against his lips. "Good morning, you."

Bilbo could only kiss her back. He couldn't wish for a finer morning. He did break away from her when there came a knock on the door.

"I suggest you put on your ring real quick," Allie said, getting out of bed. Bilbo reached for it on the nightstand and slipped it on his finger, and disappeared. Allie then opened the door and immediately two servants came in.

"We came here to bring you breakfast," the blonde one said as she placed the tray on the table. "Can we help you with getting dressed, Milady?"

Allie shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I think I can do that by myself." The other woman went towards the bed, with the intention of cleaning the bedding. "There is no need for that. In fact I was wondering something. Can I spend the day at the royal library?"

"Of course, Milady. We will bring you there when you're ready. We'll be outside." With that they left the room again.

When they were gone Bilbo took off the ring again and appeared beside Allie. "You weren't lying about this amount of food," Bilbo said, his mouth watering at the cake that stood on the table.

"Of course, I wasn't. Do take whatever you need. I know you haven't had a good meal in a very long time," Allie replied. "There is enough."

Bilbo sat down at began to eat while Allie rummaged through the closet to find something to wear. She went behind the chamber-fold and changed her nightgown for a simple, dark green dress. It definitely wasn't as detailed and beautiful as the one she had worn before, but it was a lot easier to walk around in.

She had brushed her hair and had simply weaved it into a classical braid. As she returned she saw that Bilbo had nearly finished the cake. "Are you making up for all the second breakfasts that you missed?" she asked with a smirk.

"Very funny, Allie," he replied, making a face at her. "This cake doesn't compare with the one I usually bake."

"I am sure that you are excellent in baking cakes. I'd take it you are as fond of seed cakes as much as I am," Allie said as she took a bite from one of the sandwiches. "I remember you mentioning them during your speech before Azog showed up."

Bilbo frowned slightly. He had dreamed about eating seed cake with Allie in his dreams not too long ago. "You recall that correctly. They are my favorites."

After they had finished eating their breakfast and their stomachs were filled Bilbo slipped on the ring again. They left the room and Allie called one of the servants who escorted her, and Bilbo, through the different corridors of the Woodland Realm. It cleared on Allie that Bilbo didn't make any sound as he walked. She knew that elves hearing was superior to all other races, but she was convinced that they wouldn't be able to hear him. It really was as if he wasn't there.

They went into the library which Allie found the most beautiful place that Mirkwood had to offer. The servant left her so that Allie could rummage through the books without being disturbed. It was eerie quiet inside the library and Allie looked around to make sure that there were no other guards of servants inside. Apparently the elves here weren't too fond of books or something because the place was rather abandoned.

"Bilbo," Allie called quietly. She had no idea where he was exactly for she wasn't able to see him. All she could feel was how his hand slipped into hers and then she saw him, giving her a friendly smile. "We should have about two hours before they come and try to find me."

"That should give us enough time to make it there and back again," Bilbo assured her. "Come on, follow me. I know the way."

And Allie did. As they walked out of the library she intertwined their fingers and felt herself blushing.

It amazed Allie how easy it was for them to slip unnoticed past the guards. Clearly the hobbit in her was strong because she too barely made any sound as she walked, even though she was wearing rather uncomfortable boots. Hobbits do seemed to be stealthier and less clumsy than other races and they were using that as their advantage.

Bilbo knew the way surprisingly well for someone who had only been inside the large hall for a few days. He had spent that time sneaking around and trying to find Allie, in which he had succeeded.

The hobbit guided her unseen past the guards that stood outside the dungeon as they quietly stepped inside. They then came across the twelve separated cells where the rest of the dwarves were captured in. Allie fell her heart fall at the sight of seeing them like that. She wished nothing more than being able to free them.

Bilbo gave her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that they had to get a move on. Allie nodded understandingly and walked after him on the tip of her toes. There was a door that leaded to another room, and inside there was one final cell. Caught behind the bars there was Thorin Oakenshield. The dwarf king looked miserable as he was staring straight ahead of him to the wall.

"I'll keep guard," Bilbo quietly said as he let go off her hand and walked away to the other room.

Allie now stood before the cell. Her father hadn't noticed anything. "Khagam," she called, but not too loud in case the elves overheard her.

Thorin looked up and at the sight of his daughter his eyes widened in shock and confusion. "Gemez," he pretty much whispered. He went closer towards her, but the bars were separating them. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. "How did you get here?"

"Bilbo found me yesterday and he brought me here," Allie explained. "He's outside waiting for me to finish. How are they treating you?"

"There's no shortage of food and water here. Let's keep it at that," Thorin responded. "Where is the rest of our kin? Are they alright?"

"They are being held captive outside this room in separate cells. They don't look too great, but they are fed well. Besides they are unharmed. Thranduil kept his promise about that."

Thorin's expressions soured at the mention of the elf. "How about you? Is he hurting you?"

Allie shook her head. "No, not at all. He's treating me as a royal guest here. I can do anything that I please besides leaving Mirkwood without his consent. I even have servants following me around everywhere. To tell you the truth I had Legolas showing me around Mirkwood yesterday and afterwards I had to dine with the king and his council myself, at which I kind of lashed at him. I don't think he likes me."

A smile tugged at Thorin's lips. "That's my girl," he said proudly.

Allie rolled with her eyes. "It's no joke. He's keeping me here as if I'm some sort of pet. I want to leave this place."

"If only that were so simple, Allie. We're trapped in here," Thorin responded.

"I am well aware of that. I can assure you that Bilbo and I are going to look for a solution out of here. I don't know how long that will take, but we're doing our best," Allie assured him.

"I know you are, dear one. Did things between you and Bilbo resolve then?" Thorin asked.

Allie's jaw slightly dropped, but she tried to hide it. "Whatever do you mean?"

Thorin was smirking. "Well, everyone in the company could see that the two of you had a falling out. You refused to be near one another ever since we left Beorn's lodge. Did he do something to you?"

So obviously everyone knew Allie and Bilbo had gone through a tough time together. "No, he did nothing of the sort. We just had a disagreement that's all. Bilbo and I talked about it and we've resolved it. I'd say were as thick as thieves." This was the closest Allie could get to telling her father about Bilbo. She couldn't let him know that they were more than that.

There was still a certain look on Thorin's face as if he suspected something more. "That's good...I think. I know that I wasn't a big fan of Bilbo since he came along with us. He has proved himself countless times by repeatedly saving everyone's life. I owe him a great debt and it's clear that he's very loyal. What I did notice from the start was that he seemed to care about you. He's a good person to have around, Allie."

Allie smiled at the sincerity of her father's words. Perhaps there would come a day that he would be supportive of what's going on between her and Bilbo, if they would still be together in the future. "I agree with that. Bilbo is a wonderful man and it's good for all of our sakes that he decided to leave his door. He's been of help many times."

Bilbo then barged in. "There are guards nearby!" he informed Allie. "We have to go. Now!"

Allie pressed a kiss on her father's forehead through the thin bars, and then got onto her feet. "We'll come back when we've found out how to get you out of here," she promised him. "Hang in there."

Thorin nodded and then whispered something to Allie in Khuzdul.

She grabbed Bilbo's hand and he slipped the ring on and they were gone. She had one final gaze at her father before she and Bilbo slipped out of the room, just as one of the guards entered.

As soon as they had left the dungeons behind them Allie finally dared to breathe again. For a moment she had been quite fearful that they would be caught, but Bilbo had alarmed her right in time to get away. They had gotten away undetected and it felt amazing.

They had made it back to the library within an hour. That was where Allie released Bilbo's hand and told one of the servants that she would be heading back to her room. When the door of her guest chambers closed behind her Bilbo took off his ring.

"That was a rather close call," he gasped.

"It's a good thing that you saw the guards on time," Allie replied, sitting down on her bed.

"What did Thorin say to you before we left?" Bilbo asked her.

Allie met his gaze. "He told me that he was proud of me," she clarified. "And that placed his trust in us."

"That's kind of him to say that." Bilbo sat down beside her, licking his lips. "You didn't tell him about what happened between us, did you?"

"No, I did not. The thing is that you and I have only come clear about our feelings the previous day and it's all so new. I'd want to keep that between us for now," Allie enlightened him. "I just want to see how things between us will go and if it's serious then we have no choice but to come clear to all of them. They will figure it out sooner or later."

Bilbo smiled at her. He wanted to keep this between them for now as well. The last thing that he wanted was for Thorin to find out. There was after all nothing more that Thorin valued than Allie. Bilbo didn't want to risk the wrath of the dwarven King. "You're right," he said. "We'll take it one step at the time."

"Thank you for being so understanding about it." Allie then sighed when she realized something. "I have to dine with the King in an hour."

"Can't you stay here?" Bilbo asked her.

"Sadly not. Thranduil will be suspicious if I won't show up. I best let him see my face so he doesn't think I'm plotting anything. It shouldn't be too long."

"Do you want me to go with you? To make sure he doesn't do anything and -"

"And expose yourself as a result?" Allie finished for him, grabbing his hands. "No, we can't risk that. No one knows that you're here and we have to keep it that way. You might be our only way out of here. I can handle Thranduil by myself. He doesn't hurt me or anything. He can't do that."

Still Bilbo didn't seem to be reassured. He had followed her and Thorin to their encounter with the elven King when they had first arrived in Mirkwood. There was something alarming about the elven king that slightly unsettled him. Thranduil obviously was very fond of himself, and wasn't the nicest towards other people. At least not that Bilbo had witnessed. "But I don't want him to make you feel bad, Allie. I know he's not that great in saying kind things."

Allie flashed him a rather large smile. "I shouldn't worry about Thranduil if I were you. Over the years I've gotten quite used to stubborn Kings. They don't bother me too much." Bilbo chuckled at that. "It's going to be alright. We will get through this, Bilbo. One of these days we'll find a way out of here, I'm sure of that.

"You're right," he said, enfolding Allie into a warm embrace. She appreciated his way of thinking and gladly returned it. "I sure hope that we'll be out of here quite soon. I can't wait to leave this forest behind of us."

"Me neither. We still have some way to go before we reach Erebor," Allie replied. "There's Lake-Town that we have to cross as well."

"And what about the dragon?" Bilbo asked. "Do you think we can defeat that?"

"I honestly wish that I could give an answer to that, Bilbo. I simply have no idea if we can. We don't even know if Smaug is still alive, but that's something that we have to deal with when the time is right. Oh, I forgot to tell you. My father told me that the entire company knew we had a falling out, which is why we acted so different to each other ever since we left Beorn. They all knew there was something going on."

Bilbo chuckled. "It doesn't surprise me that they we aware of that because we used to be quite close before it all. What did you tell him?"

"That we resolved it," Allie replied honestly. "And that we're close again. I didn't lie, I just didn't tell him the whole truth."

"You gave him the right answer. " With that he leaned forwards to kiss her again.


	27. Barrels out of bond

**Monkeybaby: Thank you :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 27: Barrels out of bond**

For days they stayed in Mirkwood. Allie spent most of that time with the royal family to let them know that she wasn't scheming anything. She went on walks with Legolas and dined with his father. In the meantime Bilbo would be looking around for a way to free the dwarves from this fate, but he wasn't lucky so far. The only time they saw each other was when Allie returned to her chambers after dinner and Bilbo was there waiting for her. He would then spend the night there and leave again at the first light to continue his search.

"You seem to be in deep thought," Tauriel chipped in as she noticed the frown on Allie's forehead.

Allie looked up at the captain of the guard. "It was nothing," she quickly replied. "I'm just a bit worried about my kin, that is all."

"I can assure you that your kin are not being harmed. They are safe there in the dungeons," Tauriel assured her, but Allie knew better. She wanted nothing more than to get them out of there. They had to hold on for a little while longer.

"How about you and I have a friendly game of archery?" Legolas asked her. Allie then remembered that they had brought her to the training grounds an hour ago. She had been lost in her own thoughts since, absentmindedly watching the elves around her train.

"I don't know." Allie gestured to the dress that she was wearing. "This isn't the most comfortable to practice in. Besides it has been a while since I've last held a bow." That part wasn't a lie. She had lost hers somewhere in this forest.

"You are to be given one of ours to practice with," Tauriel told her. "I am sure you will do just fine with the clothing."

Allie was surprised that they kept pressing so much, but didn't argue further with them. "I can't see why not then." It had been a while since she had last practiced archery with Dwalin. Back then she was still recovering from her injury and her arm was giving her trouble. She hadn't practiced since and Allie didn't know if she was on her old level again.

Tauriel gave her a bow which wasn't too big for her, which was nice. Allie studied the words that had caved in, in the elven language. It was a pleasant bow to fight with, that was for sure. Allie was also given a quiver filled with lots of arrows, made by the finest smiths among the elves. She was familiar with how skilled the elves were with making weaponry. Especially their swords were beautifully crafted.

"Are you ready then?" Tauriel asked her.

Slowly, Allie nodded as she approached the target they would be shooting at. The other elves that were training nearby came to see what was going on. She drew back the bow, focusing on the target. Her last practice had been a disaster due to her injury and she hoped to do better now. It wasn't even about beating the elven princeling

Allie released the arrow and it landed on the right in the target, away from the center. It wasn't a good shot, but at least it was on the wooden target.

Within seconds Allie realized that she had made the mistake of doing this friendly game with Legolas, for he was incredibly skilled with archery. It was clear as daylight by the way that his arrow landed right in the center. The elf probably had been studying this to complete perfect for a thousand years. She wouldn't be able to compete with that.

That's why Allie simply continued to focus on herself and not on what the elf was doing. Her shots became better and she managed to hit the target the next couple of times. Even a few landed in the center. Unlike Legolas, who never failed one of his shots. The man was astonishing to watch.

"Don't mind him," Tauriel said. "He's been practically born with a bow in his hands and hasn't stopped practicing since. It's impossible to beat him."

Allie flashed a sly smile. "I had no intention of doing that. I just wanted the practice for now. It had been a long time."

"You still did great," Legolas assured her, touching the back of one of his arrows. "I did hear some stories about how you taught lots of dwarves how to fight with a sword back in the Blue Mountain."

She hadn't expected that he would've heard any stories about her at all. "Y-yes. I've trained lots of dwarves back then," she said. "I've got lots of practice with it."

"I've also heard that dwarves are quite stubborn to teach," Legolas went on.

Allie frowned her brows and bit her lip, lowering her bow. "They aren't more stubborn than the elves are from what I've witnessed."

"But you are part hobbit," Tauriel came between them. "Has that ever hindered you? I've never came across a Halfling before so I have no idea what they're like. I heard they aren't too fond of leaving the Shire."

"No, that has never hindered me before. In fact is has given me some advantages," Allie replied, wondering why on earth she was having this conversation. Still she thought little of it. "And yes, hobbits take no part in what's going on in Middle-Earth. They have everything that they need to live a content life behind the borders of the Shire where they are safe."

Tauriel smiled at her answer. "You are a feisty one, Allie. You know, perhaps we should go for a horse-ride later today. It's lovely enough weather and I have some time off. I could show you around."

"Yes. Sure. Sounds great," Allie responded. The thought of having to ride on a horse, which would be way too big for her, didn't comfort her in the slightest.

Around noon Allie returned to her chambers. She had brought the bow and quivers from the training ground and had placed them on the bed. There was no sign of Bilbo anywhere and Allie expected that he would be out observing the guards or something.

After that short amount of time Allie had for herself she felt somewhat relaxed before she went to find one of the servants that accompanied her to the stables. Allie had to gulp at the sight of the enormous horses that stood there in the stables. It would be impossible for her to ride one of these, for she wouldn't be able to steer it.

Tauriel appeared shortly after that and found Allie observing the different horses that the stables had to offer. "I take it you think you aren't big enough for these horses." She smirked. "There ought to be some smaller horses near the back. There might be one your size."

Allie went to take a look at the back of the stables. The horses here were indeed smaller than the huge ones the others were riding. She could understand that elves considered these horses

Still these ones were huge for the tiny person that Allie was. It was much larger compared to the ponies she usually rode. This was going to be a hassle to get into the saddle.

Allie chose a short, sandy colored mare. She had white manes and a pink nuzzle. The horse neighed nervously as Allie raised her hand to pet her strong neck. "She seems like to you," Tauriel told her with a fond smile. "Her name is Cúthalion, meaning strong bow.

"That suits her," Allie said in awe.

"I'll have her saddled." Tauriel then turned to give orders in elvish to the stableboys.

It took about ten minutes until they had Cúthalion brushed down and saddled. One of the stablesboys was holding the reigns outside the stables. Allie eyed up the horse and took a deep breath before she tried to get into the saddle. It turned out that she didn't need help for that. Despite the horse being large for her, she was able to steer it. It wasn't that different from a pony after all.

Tauriel rode on her own beautiful chestnut steed. Under the supervision of Tauriel and some guards that accompanied them during this ride they were able to leave the halls of the Woodland Realm behind and went through a landscape that were most pleasant to ride through on a horse.

Allie did her best to remember the way that they were riding, but they were simply riding too fast for her to memorize it. She doubted that this would lead to a way out of here.

They had being riding for hours. By the time that Allie had closed the door of her chambers behind her it was almost dusk. She kicked off those dreadful boots and growled. She was surprised to find Bilbo sitting on the edge of the bed and hadn't expected him to return already.

"I thought you would be out for a few more hours," Allie said, undoing her braid and running her fingers through her hair. For a faintest of a second she thought that it felt as if she and Bilbo were married and had been living together for years, simply because it had been feeling so natural. She knew that this wasn't the case, but that didn't change how she felt about this situation.

"No, I was done sooner than I thought," Bilbo responded. "I've found it though."

"Found what?"

"A way for us and the dwarves to get out of here," Bilbo went to explain. "I've been having my eyes on it for days now, but earlier I managed to obtain the key to the cellars. Inside there are barrels which are large enough for the dwarves to fit in."

"Excuse me what?" Allie asked with a frown. She looked away from her mirror to see that expression on Bilbo's face. "You plan to put the dwarves in barrels? What's the point in that?"

Bilbo wet his lips. "These normally empty barrels will be send through a hatch by the elves, landing into the river underneath. The current will lead it to Lake Town, where they should be picked out. It gives us the perfect opportunity to smuggle the dwarves out of there unseen and then get on shore somewhere."

Allie had to say that this plan didn't sound as crazy as she thought. "How do you plan to get the dwarves out from their cells?"

He shrugged. "I haven't thought about it yet."

Allie thought about it for a second. "The elves will be having a feast tonight. I too am invited. I'm sure that they'll be too preoccupied with the wine to pay attention to locked up dwarves."

"That's brilliant. That's how I'll try to sneak the dwarves out of their cells, to the cellars and through the hatch in a barrel. Into the river," Bilbo responded with a smile. It faltered when he stared at Allie and noticed the dim look in her eyes. "Why do you look so gloom?"

"It's Thranduil. Because I'll be expected at the feast tonight it will be impossible for me to sneak off without anyone of them noticing," Allie said grimly. "The elves are constantly watching me now. I can't leave. If they catch me they will definitely kill the dwarves."

Bilbo needed a moment to let her words sink in. "I'm not going to let you stay here, Allie," Bilbo made himself clear. "We'll all be leaving this place together. That's the plan."

Allie sighed "Clearly we can't, Bilbo."

Bilbo refused to listen to this. "Allie, no. This is not going to happen," he disagreed as he grabbed Allie's hand and pulled her onto the bed. "I won't leave you here with all these elves."

Allie already felt her chest tightening at the thought of being left her on her own. "We don't have a choice, Bilbo," Allie said quietly. "I'd gladly stay here with the knowledge that you all escaped and made it to Lake Town safely."

Bilbo felt his throat going raspy from trying to hold in his emotion. He couldn't believe that this as truly happening. His blue eyes gazed into hers and he could detect the hurt in them. Bilbo made mental vow to himself that he never wanted to see Allie pained like that again. "And what about you?" he asked. "Have you thought about that?"

She shook her head, trying to hold back her tears. Crying wasn't going to solve anything. She had to be brave. "That's irrelevant, Bilbo," Allie said. "What does matter is how you'll all get out of here. I will stay here and wait for one day that you'll possibly return for me." She brought up her hand to tuck a curl of Bilbo's auburn hair behind his pointy ear.

Bilbo's jaw fell agape at her answer. "That's out of the question! You've been wanting to go on this quest your entire life and now you're just going to throw that away? You've been wanting to be there when you first look upon the halls of your fathers and see Erebor for the first time with all of us. That was the plan, Allie."

Allie's lips twitched as she did her best to hold herself together. "Clearly plans change. You don't understand, Bilbo." She was gently cupping his cheek now. "I have to do it. For all of your sakes. That's much more important to know that you'll all be alive and away from here."

"I can't believe that you're doing this." He had been so happy the last couple of days because of how the relationship between him and Allie had changed and he was immensely grateful for that. At this moment he wasn't feeling any of that. He was fearful that he would never see Allie again.

"Someone has to. Nothing is more important to than this. It will bring me some solace to know that you're all going to be alright. That's something that I can live with," Allie said truthfully. She meant what she was saying. What was most important was that everyone else was save. She was willing to risk her own happiness for that.

"And what about us?" Bilbo was equally tearing up. "I've only just got you, Allie. I cannot let you go."

Allie addressed him a small smile and pressed her forehead against his. "Nothing changes between us. I will stay here while you'll go and proof everyone what an amazing and courageous hobbit you are. For this I already know. You won't lose me, Bilbo. You have to hold onto that."

"I don't want to be without you. I need you there."

"I know. Neither do I. This is simply what we have to do."

Bilbo planted a kiss on Allie's forehead and made it linger. "You are the bravest woman I've ever met, Allie Fairchild. I will come back for you. I promise you that." He meant his words. He had nothing but love and admiration for Allie. He should be angry at her for staying here, but he couldn't do it. She was acting completely selfless and for the sake of the company. He appreciated her even more because of that, even when it was hurting.

Allie surprised him by soundly kissing him on the lips, letting her emotions take over. The thought of not seeing Bilbo for an unknown time caught her hands to shake and she felt her heart beating frantically inside her chest. His lips fitted perfectly against hers and they were moving in sync so slowly.

Allie didn't want to give up on this, on Bilbo. It felt far too good to be able to kiss Bilbo, but she didn't have another choice. She wasn't selfish enough to keep him here and to continue to risk his life. He had to get to safety and she was willing to risk her own happiness for this.

"I can't believe this is good bye," Bilbo said, his voice cracking.

"We will see each other again," Allie assured him, stroking his cheek. She had to believe her own words. "You've just got to hold on. In the end it will all have been worth it. I can guarantee you that." She pulled back a little so that she could look him in the eye. She had to admit that Bilbo had gorgeous eyes which were a dark blue color, in which she could easily stare for hours. At that moment they were masked with hurt. "I have something that you need to do before you leave. Can you ask Ori if he can give you his drawings? I don't want them to get damaged in the water. He's spend far too much time on them to get ruined."

Bilbo smiled at the kindness of her offer. "Sure. I'll do that. Is there anything else?"

"Just go on and continue to be so wonderful," she replied, ruffling his curls. "Like I know you are."

Bilbo leaned his forehead against hers again. "It's just not going to be the same without you there."

Allie whispered something in Khuzdul. "I'm going to miss you too. A lot. This won't be permanent, Bilbo."

"I'm proud of the woman that you are, Allie Fairchild. You are making a very brave choice, which can only be admired. Thank you for doing this for all of our sakes. I shall count the days until we'll be reunited once more."

"Me too, We will find each other again," she said, her voice trembling. "You should go now. Do remember to sometimes scold my father if he's being unfair about something. He needs it."

Bilbo was able to flash a tiny smile. Even during a moment like this Allie was able to joke around. "Of course I'll put him in his place. Take care, Allie."

Bilbo kissed her again and Allie gladly leaned into him. Her hands were once again on his cheek, while his went to the nape of her neck. His palm pressed against her neck caused her stomach to do somersault's. Bilbo didn't seem to have any idea of the effect that he was having on her. Allie sighed into the kiss when she realized that she wanted this continue, but that they couldn't. This was their farewell.

Slowly, she pulled back. Her gaze stared into those beautiful and warm blue eyes of his. "I shall think of you often," she said quietly, trying not to cry again. "Give my regards to my kin and let them know that I'll be fine and that they don't need to worry about me."

She saw the pain flash across Bilbo's face at the impact of her words. He nodded a few times. "I'll do that." His voice was unsteady. "I'll look forward to the days that our paths cross again. Hang in there."

He kissed her cheek briefly. And with that he slipped on the ring and was gone. Allie listened to the sound the door closing behind him before she broke down on the bed and let her emotions roam freely since there was no on to see it.


	28. Escape

**Monkeybaby: Thank you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 28: Escape**

Allie took a deep breath before she went underwater. She saw tiny bubbles escaping from her mouth as she let out some air. There was something about being underwater like that that always soothed her. Perhaps it was that this was the perfect opportunity for her to think without ever getting disturbed.

There were definitely a lot of things to think about. It had only been an hour since Bilbo had left and the feast of _Merth Nuin Giliat_ was about to start pretty soon. The name meant Feast of Starlight in elvish, which sounded very beautiful. Allie had never been to a feast devoted to the stars before.

The longer she sat in the bathtub the more she began to worry about Bilbo. She could only hope that he would succeed in freeing the dwarves from the prison. That was all that mattered now and it was constantly on her mind. If they would be caught that could mean that Thranduil would execute them. That was the last thing that she wanted.

Eventually Allie got out of the tub. The scent of the honey and lily soap that she had bathed with hung everywhere and she was convinced that she would be smelling it on herself for the whole evening. It was a very lovely and calming smell and it really fitted the elves.

One of the seamstresses had brought a dress earlier for Allie to wear. Instead of the usual dark green colors she had been wearing all this time, this dress was a mix of silver and bright white. It reminded Allie of the starlight, which is why she assumed the seamstress had it made for her.

The dress itself was simply made, but fitted perfectly. It had long V-shaped sleeves, a heart-neckline. Somehow it reminded her of the dress that the Lady Galadriel had worn during her dream. There had even been a silver circlet with white gems to match it with, and it was beautifully crafted. She let her hair hang loose this time as she placed the circlet on the top of her head.

As Allie looked at her own reflection it occurred to her that she was in fact dressed like an elf and it didn't feel right. She wasn't an elf and she was immensely proud of the blood that ran through her veins. Still she assumed that it wouldn't be allowed for her to wear something a hobbit or a dwarf would do.

She left the room and was greeted by some of those servants that had been following her all week. They were the ones that guided her through the corridors of the enormous halls. This leaded her to a gigantic platform that stood high up in the halls. From here they were able to see the bright stars in the sky and Allie understood why they were holding a feast for this.

There were lots of elves on the platform. There was plenty of wine, food, and beautifully played music. An elven maiden in a silver dress was singing songs in the elven language. Even though Allie couldn't understand it, there was something about how the maiden was singing and the emotion behind her voice that it gave her goosebumps.

Allie had never felt more out of her element than she had done at that moment. There was no place for her, the daughter of a dwarf amongst the elves. She knew that she had no right to be here and it seemed that the elves in the crowd thought so either, for they didn't come to talk to her.

She stood there by herself listening to the sound of laughter and cheerful chatter. Allie got a glass of elven wine. It had been a while since she had last drank wine, but she had to do something to keep herself sane during this feast.

"Easy there on the wine," Legolas said with a laugh. "I'm sure it is extra strong for little folk like you."

Allie flashed a strained smile. "I think that I can handle it."

"I wouldn't risk it if I were. Some of the lads here are already struggling with it." He then noticed the look on her face. "What has caused for you to have such a foul mood? This is a feast after all."

 _My love, Bilbo, is trying to escape from this horrible place with the rest of my kin. I might not ever see them again._ That was what Allie wanted to say, but ended up not saying. He didn't need to know about this.

"I miss home," Allie then said, taking another sip from the wine which burned down her throat. He wasn't lying about the strength of it.

"The Blue Mountains?" Legolas asked, raising his eyebrow.

"It's a good as a home as any and it's all that I've ever known my whole life," Allie enlightened. "At least it's not as foul as this place you call home."

Legolas placed his hand across his heart in a mocking manner. "You wound me, Lady Fairchild."

Their conversation came a halt when the elf King appeared on the platform. He too was wearing a silver robe that was sparkling like the stars in the sky. Allie was convinced that he knew how beautiful he looked. There was no doubt in that.

After their short interruption they continued their conversation and this time Allie asked Legolas some questions about his life here in Mirkwood, simply to keep herself entertained. It was a small relief that the elven prince was here chatting with her so that she wouldn't be completely alone.

As the night went on the elves that were present during this feast were pretty much drunk. Allie was only slightly tipsy. She had taken Legolas his words to heart to avoid getting drunk herself. She didn't forget the reason why she was truly here at this feast. It was because she had risked her own happiness for that of the rest of her kin.

Allie was now sitting somewhere at a table with elven ladies and men from the court. She continued to take small sips from her wine. She couldn't even remember the last time she had drank this much, but it didn't stop her. She was definitely tipsy now.

Allie wasn't sure how long she was sitting there but her gaze occasionally would go up at the sky full of stars and she would tear up. She assumed the elves around her noticed it, but no one asked her anything about it. They must've thought that it was from the wine that she was having, but it was much more than that.

As Allie basically avoided contact with everyone she saw how the sky began to lighten, a sign that the sun was about to rise. That meant that she had spent the entire night here at this feast, pretending that she belonged here. She doubted that she had anyone fooled. Because she had been awake for so long she felt incredibly tired and she longed for the bed that she had here.

There came another interruption when a few of the guards arrived at the platform, slightly out of breath from running. Allie looked up from her glass as they approached the King during his merrymaking.

"My Lord," one of them began. "We've came to report to you that the dwarves have escaped. They're all gone."

Allie felt her heart beating frantically and her breathing become shallow. This definitely wasn't the wine that was having that effect on her.

Thranduil's cheerful mood darkened at this news. "How do you mean they're gone? They were all locked up."

"Yes, My Lord. They were."

"Somehow they've stolen the keys and escaped," another guard filled in.

"And they escaped by using the empty barrels that we always sent to Esgaroth."

"By barrels?" Thranduil repeated. "You mean to say that they're out in the river somewhere now?"

"Yes, My Lord. It seems like it."

Allie had to hide her excitement. The news of their escape being a success was wonderful and she was over the moon to know that they've made it out of here alive. Bilbo's plan had succeeded. She could only imagine how happy Bilbo must be because his plan actually worked.

"Well, send out some guards to find them!" Thranduil ordered. "They can't have gotten far."

"I will personally see to it," Legolas assured. He barked some commands at the guards and then walked down the platform, followed by the guards.

The king let out an expressed sigh. "I guess this means the party is over. I want full report on this all soon. You may all go."

Allie had a small smile on her lips as Thranduil walked past here. She gazed up at the stars one last time.

* * *

As soon as Allie had placed her head on the pillow she fell into a deep sleep. The long night and consuming wine had definitely made her incredibly exhausted and it felt great to get the sleep that she needed.

By the time that she woke up it was around noon and she had slept for a good six hours. It wasn't that long, but it was enough for her to feel refreshed. She got up from the comfortable bed and walked to the vanity. There she found a sketchbook that could only belong to Ori.

Seeing it here made her smile and she carefully fluttered through the pages, observing the different drawings that the dwarf had made. There were a couple of new ones since she had last seen it. She assumed these were drawn while Ori had been stuck in prison. There was even a detailed one of Ori himself. The dwarf sure was incredibly skilled with drawing and they all looked really good. It was a small relief to know that these drawings would remain unharmed and that Ori could cherish them in the future.

As Allie placed the sketchbook on the desk there came a knock on the door. She went to the door and opened it. One of the servants stood before her. "The King has asked for you personally."

That wasn't what Allie had expected at all, but she assumed that Thranduil had some things he wanted to discuss with her about the missing dwarves. She went to put on another simple dress with green colors so that she could present herself to the King.

The servant girl leaded her to the main area of the halls. There she found Thranduil sitting on his throne. Legolas stood at his side, a sour look on his face.

"My Lord," Allie said with a bow. "You've asked for me."

"I did. I take it that you've heard about the escape of the dwarves," Thranduil replied grimly. "Somehow they managed to obtain the keys from the cellars and escaped in barrels. It's absurd really."

"I went to follow them down the river, but they were already too far down the stream to catch up with them," Legolas said.

Allie's eyes widened. Their escape had succeeded and the elves hadn't been able to catch them. Allie couldn't believe what they were saying for it sounded too wonderful to be true. She only had to do her best to not show her true emotions on her face.

"Did you know that the dwarves were planning to escape?" Thranduil asked her.

"No, My Lord. I haven't spoken with the dwarves since their capture," Allie admitted, chewing on her cheek. "I knew nothing about this."

"It is odd that they've seemed to have left you here by yourself," Legolas said, puzzled. "I thought they cared for you."

Allie crossed her arms. "They must've known that I don't blame them for doing so. It brings me relief to hear they're far away from here by now."

Thranduil smirked at her answer as if he had been waiting for it. "I'd expected that's where your loyalties would lie."

"Of course they would be. They're my kin after all," Allie admitted, straightening herself.

"I know the true purpose as to why you all ventured into Mirkwood. I've figured it out myself. You are heading for Erebor. It could be the only explanation why a large group of dwarves would come this way," Thranduil said. "You intend to defeat the dragon and restore Erebor to its formal glory."

"It sounds like you don't approve," Allie said placidly, raising her eyebrow. There was nothing that the elf could do to change anything about this quest. He couldn't prevent the dwarves from reaching Erebor.

"Of course, I don't. If Smaug isn't handled with tact that could cause many casualties. Do you honestly think you can defeat a dragon?"

"I have to believe that we can. We stand a good a chance as any."

"It's a foolish thing to think of. This will only lead to their deaths," Thranduil said bitterly.

"What will happen to the Lady Fairchild now?" Legolas questioned instead. He realized that it was better to prevent the two of them from arguing any further.

"I've thought about it," Thranduil said and cleared his throat. "And I've come to the understanding that there will be no point in keeping you here if the dwarves are gone."

Allie was perplexed at that. This was honestly the last thing that she was expecting. A part of her had already considered about setting up an escape plan for herself. "Y-you're going to let me go?"

"Quite so. There is no use of you being here, unless you choose so yourself. Let's be fair with one another, I know that this is the last place you want to be. You're a terrible lair, Lady Fairchild." He was smirking at her now.

Allie was simply amazed and wasn't too sure how to react to all this. "But how do I catch up with my kin? They'll be miles away by now."

"They are and that is why we'll provide you with enough supplies, weapons and equipment," Legolas clarified. "We'll even let you use one of our horses to fasten your journey."

Allie was thinking that this was a dream of something. She blinked a few times. "W-wow. I can-t even believe- "

"One other thing," Thranduil cut her off. He whispered something to Legolas in the elven tongue, who went to pick something up. Allie followed his movement curiously.

He came back with a sword that Allie recognized immediately. "My father's sword." It was Orcrist. The one that he had found in the troll-hoard. She had assumed the elves must've taken it from him when he was captured here.

"Forged by our kin," Thranduil said with a small grin. "At first we thought that he had stolen it from somewhere, but we know the truth now. The sword should return to its rightful owner."

"I can only thank you for the kindness that you've just showed, My Lord," Allie said in pure astonishment as she picked up Orcrist. She had never dared to imagine that this would happen. Thranduil had proved her wrong. During her stay here in Mirkwood she had only gotten to know one side of Thranduil which wasn't that kind. The elf seemed to have a softer side that he was finally showing to her now.

"I am not as cruel as the dwarves claim that I am," Thranduil reminded her in a joking manner.

"You've definitely proved that. I cannot thank you enough for doing this."

The Elf King smiled again. "You are a firecracker, Allie Fairchild. I'm sure it's the blood of the Shire-folk inside your veins that makes you so fascinating. Do you ever feel the need to return to Mirkwood you are most welcome here."

Allie bowed gracefully at his words.

"Go now, with all the blessings of the elves," Thranduil said fondly.

"You've shown kindness and mercy, My Lord," Allie replied thankfully. "I do hope our paths will cross again in the future."

With that Allie turned around and down the corridors. She made it to her room and closed the door. In the short time that she had been away some of the servants had already left a bag filled with equipment. There even was a new outfit for her to wear, which was made for the road and seemed to be right her size.

Allie put it on and it was a similar tunic to the one that Tauriel had been wearing. It was the same dark green color and was made of soft fabric that made Allie couldn't stop stroking her sides. The tunic was incredibly comfortable and it came with matching boots. This was the first during her stay in Mirkwood that Allie actually enjoyed wearing something. Perhaps that was because this time it wasn't a dress and she could easily move around in it.

She weaved her hair into two tiny braids to the sides of her head and then clasped them together on the back. Wearing this was definitely an improvement for the days to come.

Allie put Ori's sketchbook into her bag. Now that she could personally deliver it to the dwarf there was a huge grin on her face. She was going to see her kin again. It didn't really hit her yet, but it surely would once she would be on the road. She was finally going to leave Mirkwood behind her and she was lready counting down the minutes.

She strapped Orcrist onto her belt, and also her daggers. She then picked up her bow and quiver and slung them over her shoulder. It felt good to be this fully armed again, for it had been far too long ago. She was more than ready to face whatever she would encounter on the road.

Once she was ready she left the room and walked down the corridors and the stairs until she reached the stable. Here she found that the horse that she had ridden the previous day, Cúthalion, was already saddled and waiting for her.

"I've heard that the King has given you permission to leave," Tauriel said as she approached her.

"Yes, he did. There is no reason for me to stay here," Allie replied. "My kin needs me and I'm ready to see them again."

"That's perfectly understandable." Tauriel smiled. "I had to say that you sure livened this place up, _perian_."

"Perian?" Allie repeated with frowned brows.

"It means hobbit in our language," Tauriel explained.

"I like the sound of it," Allie said with a grin. "Then I should say _Zantulbasn_ to you." She had put all her belongings into the saddlebag, and only held onto her weapons. She then mounted the horse, tightly grabbing the reigns. Allie then noticed that the elven warrior mounted her own horse. "You're coming with me?"

Tauriel nodded. "Only to make sure that you'll make it out of Mirkwood. It's dangerous to be out there on your own."

It brought some relief to hear that she wouldn't be going alone. This was strange territory after all and Tauriel knew her way around this forest. "We have a long way to go then," Allie laughed. With that Allie kicked Cúthalion into a gallop and they rode out of the stables.


	29. Catching up

**Thank you monkeybaby! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 29: Catching up**

For several hours the two women rode swiftly among the trees. Allie was glad that Tauriel was there to guide her through this accursed forest so that they didn't end up getting lost, because she surely would've if she had been here all alone. Tauriel was born in these woods so it was no surprise that she knew her way around well.

The sky was getting darker by the time that they had left Mirkwood behind them and had reached the Forest River. Tauriel signed for them to halt and got off her horse. Allie quickly followed her example, wondering why she had stopped here.

As she observed the ground she saw the different colors of blood. The blood was too dark to belong to a dwarf, nor did it belong to an elf. And from the bodies that lay scattered on the ground she knew enough.

"There has been a fight here," Tauriel informed her. She had picked up an arrow from the ground which confirmed her observation.

"Orcs," Allie said gravely. "There has been a lot of bloodshed."

"It doesn't look like any of your dwarves have been injured," Tauriel replied. "There is no blood of them here."

Allie bit her cheek. "So you're indicating that they managed to escape?"

"It sure looks like it. Had any of them died here or would've been wounded we would've seen it. There's just no sign of it here."

Allie let out a deep breath. It was wonderful to hear that the dwarves had gotten away. They were probably on their way towards Lake Town. She prayed that none of them were actually injured or hurt.

"And what about the orcs? From how the old the blood is I can tell that they haven't been here for hours," Allie figured as she took a closer look.

"It's possible that they're following the dwarves," Tauriel responded thoughtfully. "We can't be too sure. All that we know is that neither parties are here and have moved on elsewhere."

"Then we need to move on as well," Allie said.

They got back in the saddle and continued to ride on for a little while. Eventually it became too dark for them to see anything so they set up a small encampment under a hanging tree. They ate some of the food from Allie's back.

"I'll leave you at first light," Tauriel told her.

Allie looked up. "Then already?"

"Yes, I have some other business that I need to attend. Besides we've already made it out of Mirkwood and that was as far as I would go."

That meant Allie had to continue the rest of the way by herself and that wasn't a very positive thought, especially not with a group of orc roaming the shores. It wasn't something that gave her some reassurance.

* * *

Bilbo let out an expressed sigh as the company kept marching down the shores of the river. He had no idea for how long they had been walking exactly, but he could feel the blisters on his feet which wasn't a good sign.

Earlier this day the company had come ashore somewhere and they were all unharmed. Bilbo had worried himself sick back there on the river shore when they had been ambushed by orcs. None of the dwarves were armed, except Fili who had managed to sneak some daggers into Mirkwood without the elves seeing them. He had shared those with some of the dwarves, and they had just used those to fight off those orcs. At the moment they were not in trouble. They had made it out of Mirkwood and were getting closer towards their destination.

"I'm sad that Allie isn't here," Kili said, breaking the silence.

"Me too. She would've known how to lift everyone's spirit," Fili added.

Bilbo knew they were right. Allie always knew exactly what to say to reassure people and that was something that the company needed at this very moment. His thought sure lingered to Allie and he hoped that she was still holding on there. Bilbo couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving Allie behind and it was slightly eating him alive.

"I can't believe that she gave us a chance of escaping," Nori said.

"We surely wouldn't have made it out without her," Balin responded.

Occasionally Bilbo's gaze flicked to Thorin and he could see how much the dwarf was struggling with the fact that Allie wasn't there. He was in a very foul mood when he found out that Allie wouldn't be joining them during their escape and that she would stay with the elves instead, for their sakes. He hadn't said a word about it to everyone, but they could see that it was affecting him badly.

"What do you think Allie will be doing right now?" Ori questioned.

"By now she definitely knows that we've escaped," Bilbo said honestly. "It's possible that Thranduil will be questioning her about it, making sure where her loyalties lie."

"But if he knows that she's loyal to us then he won't be happy," Dori chimed in. "He could throw her in the dungeons for betrayal or something"

Bilbo's breath hitched. He sure hoped that wasn't the case. He couldn't imagine poor Allie sitting there all by herself in a dungeon with the people that she cared about miles and miles away from her.

He could still feel her kiss lingering on his lips from when she had said good bye to him. Thinking about how wonderful that had felt caused him to blush and he hoped none of the dwarves could see it. Fortunately they were all busy with shivering from the river to pay any attention to the hobbit.

"I'm sure that she's doing alright. She's a tough one." Balin tried to stay optimistic.

Bilbo knew that to be true. He had never come across a woman as fierce as Allie who wasn't scared to fight for what she thought was right. There wasn't a hobbit lass in the Shire who would've done what she had done. Allie was a spark waiting to be ignited. Bilbo wasn't used to a woman not needing any aid. Allie was able to fight her own battles and she was very good at it.

"Are we getting closer?" Oin questioned impatiently. His hearing-trumpet had been damaged and flattened by goblins in the Misty Mountains and he was having some difficulty to hear through it.

"Yes, we're nearing Lake-Town," Dwalin answered grumbling.

That sounded too good to be true and some of the dwarves sighed at the thought of being able to get some proper rest and food in this town. Even Bilbo felt his spirits lift at the mention of getting closer to their next destination.

* * *

Allie had spent the largest part of the night keeping guard to make sure that none of the orcs would sneak up on them, but nothing had happened during the night. She was even able to catch a few hours of sleep and she felt somewhat refreshed because of it. For now it would be enough to keep her going.

She had washed her face with the cold water from the river to make her feel extra awake. It didnt seem to be working, but there was no time to waste. Allie had to keep going if she wanted to catch up with the Company.

"Have you ever been in love?" Allie asked with great interest as she faced Tauriel.

The elf looked a bit alarmed by her question. She was stuffing a dagger into its sheath as she looked down at Allie. "I've lived in this world for six-hundred years, but I've never been fortunate to share such feelings for someone," Tauriel enlightened her and there was a certain sadness in her eyes. "How about you?" She noticed the slight grin on Allie's face. "There is someone in your life, isn't there? I can tell that there is."

Allie felt a bit foolish that her face was giving her away so easily. Perhaps her love for Bilbo was pretty much written on her forehead and everyone could read it. "Y-yes, there is someone," she said.

"Who is he then?"

"No one that you know," Allie said and she wasn't lying. She had never met Bilbo after all and probably never would.

"Does he make you happy, _p_ _erian_?" Tauriel wondered.

Within a heartbeat Allie knew the answer to that and she couldn't get that grin from her face. Even during the short time that she had gotten to know Bilbo she cherished every moment that they had shared. Bilbo was someone who knew how to ignite something deep inside her very core. He was the first one who was able to make her skin tingle by simply giving her one of those loving looks. Allie knew that she wanted to make so many wonderful memories with Bilbo. "He does make me happy," Allie affirmed cheerfully.

At that Tauriel flashed a generous smile. "Then don't let go off him, _p_ _erian_. Happiness is something that's worth fighting for."

"I don't want to let go off him," Allie clarified. "He's very dear to me and he seems to care for me as much as I do for him. Just being around him caused my heart to flutter and I'm happy."

"Then he's the real thing," Tauriel said. "Many people search their whole lives for that happiness and you've found it, Allie." Tauriel then headed towards her horse and mounted it. The captain of the elven guard needed to head back to Mirkwood. "You can send back the horse whenever she has served her purpose. She knows the way back to Mirkwood."

Allie looked up at Tauriel. "I'll do that. Thank you for everything, but mostly for being a friend. You were some nice company in these dark woods."

"May the sun shine wherever the road takes you," Tauriel said fondly. "Good luck with whatever it is you're trying to achieve."

Allie laughed merrily. " _Demup telek menu_ ," she said in Khuzdul. "It means that honor acts through you. I also want to say, _Tak natu yenet._ That simply means, until our next meeting."

Tauriel chuckled as she kicked her horse into a canter and rode back towards the east, following the path back to Mirkwood. Allie watched her until she was out of view and realized that a part of her hoped that she would see the elf again someday. She had been very pleasant company.

Allie mounted her own horse, petting Cúthalion's strong neck. "Are we ready to catch up with a bunch of dwarves?" she asked the mare, hearing her whinny excitedly. She urged Cúthalion into a gallop and rode alongside the river.

Since the company had a head start Allie wasn't sure how close they already were to Lake-Town. For all that she knew they could already be there. Nonetheless Allie would have to follow the river because that was would lead her to Lake-Town and it was very possible for her to catch up with them before that.

Therefore Allie simply kept riding alongside the river and kept a close eye out for orcs. She had no idea if they were near, but since she had seen that they had fought with the dwarves she didn't feel reassured at all. She kept looking over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't being followed.

After a few hours Allie noticed the tracks on the river bank and came to a halt. She dismounted Cúthalion so that she could take a close look at the tracks in the muddy ground and examined them. There were tracks that belonged to different races. Allie could tell that there were some that belonged to the dwarves, indicating that they had been there. There also were some larger footprints that made her throat go dry. These belonged to orcs...

From the condition and the freshness of the print Allie knew that these were very recent. That meant that the orcs were quite closely behind the dwarves. Back in Mirkwood the dwarves had been robbed of their weapons and since they had escaped they had never gotten them back. They were unharmed and they would never stand a chance against a couple of orcs.

With that knowledge Allie quickly mounted Cúthalion and grabbed hold of the mare's reins. She urged Cúthalion into a swift gallop. She had to follow the trail to make sure that the orcs hadn't caught up with the dwarves yet. She prayed to the Valar that wasn't the case and that she was still on time.

Cúthalion was riding as rapidly as she could and because the horse was too big, Allie was shifted somewhat in the saddle. That didn't bother her at all, because she was too focused to follow the trail and not to lose speed. She would never forgive herself if she would arrive there too late.

The trail went on for a severely long time, but after a while the footprints ended. There were none of the dwarves or the orcs and Allie felt a pit of anxiety growing inside her stomach. She dismounted Cúthalion once more to have a closer look and came to the realization that the orcs stood gathered near the river. From where Allie was standing amongst the trees they couldn't possibly see her.

There were three orcs that were saying things to each other in the Black Speech and then moved forwards. Allie noticed that they were closing in on something that sat near the river shore. As she got a better look she saw that it was her father and his company. They were resting on boulders, unaware of the danger that was getting closer. This was her chance to stop them before it would be too late.

Allie placed an arrow in her bow and immediately fired it, hitting the largest orc in its neck and it fell dead on the ground. The other two now were aware of her presence and growled as they rushed towards her. Allie released another arrow, which hit one of them in its flanks. She then grabbed hold of her daggers and used it to slash at the orcs. One of the orcs proved to be quite of a hassle and she had to fight him and his sword for nearly half a minute before he too collapsed death on the ground.

She looked at their lifeless bodies and assumed that Azog must've sent them after the company. The orc leader surely wanted his revenge on Thorin since he had escaped at the Misty Mountains. This was a fight that would go on endlessly and would only end whenever one of them would be death.

"Allie!" a familiar voice shouted.

Allie turned her head and saw that the entire company was watching her and had seen her fight off those orcs on her own. Knowing that they were all unharmed she exhaled in relief.


	30. Lake-Town

**Chapter 30: Lake-Town**

As Allie approached the company she was surprised by Thorin throwing his strong arms around her, pulling Allie against him. The dwarf king whispered to her in Khuzdul and Allie was immensely grateful to be reunited with her father again. "I thought you would be staying with the elves," he muttered puzzled.

"That was the plan," Allie said as she pulled back a little so that she could look Thorin directly in his eyes. "When Thranduil found out that you've all escaped he was furious. The elves weren't able to catch up with you which meant that you were out of his reach. He summoned me then to talk about this matter. He told me that there would be no use for me to stay there and that I was free to go. He had found out about the quest, but still provided me with everything that I needed. I was able to catch up with you all and kill the orcs before they would kill you."

"He knows about the quest?" Thorin asked. "How?"

"He figured it out himself," Allie replied. "He doesn't support the quest at all."

Thorin smiled. "That's not relevant. All that matters is that you've returned to us unharmed." He kissed her forehead in an affectionate way. "I thank you for what you did, but we're not going to let you go a second time. I will not have it."

"I don't plan to leave you all again," Allie swore honestly, eyeing the company. "It just warms my heart to see that you're all alright which is the most important."

As Allie let go off her father the other dwarves all pulled her in for separate embraces, thanking her for the sacrifice that she had made on their behalves back in Mirkwood. Allie was just glad to be among them again for she hadn't seen them all like this in such a long time. She had missed them more than she thought.

When all the dwarves had gotten their turn only Bilbo remained. He hadn't said a word to her yet since she had returned and Allie gazed into his eyes, noticing that he was slightly nervous. That didn't stop him from enfolding her into a warm embrace in front of everyone to see. Allie was thankful for his action and felt his heart beating against her as she took in his calming scent.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again for such a long time," Bilbo whispered quietly so that the others wouldn't hear them. Allie still heard his voice cracking. "I'm so grateful that you're here, Allie. Words can't even describe what I'm feeling right now."

This wasn't the time for a proper reunion and Allie knew that if she would speak about what was inside her heart that she might end up crying. She was simply too happy to be able to hold Bilbo again, for his arms around her was one of the best feelings she knew. "We'll talk more later," she whispered in return. Bilbo knew that they might continue this when they would be alone, even if that could be an unknown long time from now.

Allie slowly broke their embrace giving Bilbo an encouraging smile before she turned to the others. "Where are we heading now?" she asked them.

"Lake-Town," Dwalin answered.

"We are getting close now," Fili added.

"We might be able to dry our beards there," Oin grumbled.

Allie saw that they were all still soaking wet from having been in the river. With this lack of sun it was going to take a while for them to dry and she understood that they were all shivering from the cold because of it.

"Then let's continue to Lake-Town," Allie said optimistically. She turned to Cúthalion who was standing nearby. She stroked the mare's muzzle. "Thank you for your service, Cúthalion. You should go back to the elves."

Cúthalion let out a long whinny and began to ride away in a fierce gallop. It didn't take long before she was completely out of sight. It saddened Allie that Cúthalion was from the elves and a horse so that she wouldn't be able to keep her as her own. She was better off with the elves anyway, for there was much less danger than here on the road.

"They let you ride on a horse?" Ori asked in amazement.

"Yes, they didn't have ponies so this was the closest they could get to my size," Allie explained with a fond smile. "She knows her way back to Mirkwood."

The company went onwards staying near the river that would lead them towards their destination. Allie was chatting with her cousins with who she hadn't spoken for a while and it felt nice to be able to talk to them again and to hear their usual cheerful chatter. It was almost as if they hadn't been separated at all.

After a few hours Thorin, Fili, Kili, Allie and Bilbo went along the shore to the great bridge. There were some guards ahead, but they weren't really keeping a very careful watch. It simply had been too long ago since there had been any need for it. Because they were friends with the elves they had no enemies here.

As Allie eyed the people that lived here she wondered if they all were even aware of the dragon's existence, for they were laughing at the arrival of the dwarves that had claimed to have seen Smaug in their young days. That explained why the guards were simply drinking and laughing next to the fire in a hut, and weren't paying attention to the sounds of the dwarves unpacking. When Thorin stepped through the door they all looked at the dwarf with confusion.

"Who are you then? And what do you want?" one of them asked as they all leaped onto their feet and grabbed for their weapons.

"Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror! King under the Mountain," Thorin said with a loud voice and looked his part, despite his damaged clothing. "I've come back. I wish to see the Master of your town!"

At that there was excitement. Some of them expected something magical to happen straight away. The captain of the guard simply came forward. "And who are all these people then?" he asked, gesturing towards Fili, Kili, Allie and Bilbo.

"This here is my daughter, Allie Fairchild." Thorin gestured to Allie who stood at his side. "And these are the sons of my father's daughter. "They're Fili and Kili of the race of Durin. And this here is Mr. Baggins, who has travelled with our company from the Shire."

The captain observed them for a moment. "If you come in peace you best lay down your arms!"

"We have none," Fili said. He didn't mention about the daggers that he had given to some of the other dwarves.

The captain disagreed with that. "The woman seems to be carrying some weapons."

They were now all looking at Allie who tried to act nonchalant. "Well, I did have need of these weapons for I came across some orc scouts along the way here and killed them," she explained with a slight shrug. She saw that Bilbo was hiding his own sword, and that they were the only ones who had weapons from the company, besides the daggers that was.

"Orcs?" the man shrieked.

"Yes, orcs," Allie affirmed slowly. "They won't be following us here if that's what you're wondering. Like I said, I took care of them."

"Precisely," Thorin said. "We have no need of weapons. We stand no chance against the men of Lake-Town. We want you to take us to your master."

The captain hummed. "He is currently at a feast."

"Then I suggest that you take us to him," Fili said. He was getting a bit tired from this endless conversation. "We are worn and famished after our long road."

"Very well. Follow me then," the captain said. With six other men he led them over the bridge and through the gates, into the market-place of the town. Because it was rather dark already the market-place was abandoned and Allie hoped that she would be able to see it properly with her own eyes another time. She always enjoyed walking past market stalls and to see what items they sold here, for it was different in every corner of Middle-Earth.

The market-place was a wide circle of steady water, surrounded by tall piles on which they had built the greater houses. There were also many steps and ladders that went down to the surface of the lake. This place truly was different than anything Allie had ever seen. Lake-Town wasn't a wealthy place, but it surely had its charms.

As they neared one of the great halls they saw many lights and there came the sound of many voices from inside. They were leaded through the doors. Allie had to blink a couple of times at the light inside the hall, which was filled with many tables with folk of Lake-Town.

Thorin cleared his throat. "I am Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. I have returned," he cried with a loud voice from the doorstep. The captain wasn't given any chance to say anything about it. Everyone inside leaped to their feet. Even the Master of the town sprang from his great chair at the edge of the table.

Allie scrunched her nose at the sight of the man. He was a well-build man with long, greasy ginger hair and a matching moustache. He had no friendly face and there was something odd about the man. The clothing he wore was definitely more defined than the commoners.

There were a few elves that came before the Master's table. "These are prisoners from our King that have escaped. They're wandering vagabond dwarves. They even sneaked through our woods and attacked our people!"

"Is this true?" the Master asked them. He didn't seem effected by the words.

Allie licked her lips. "Our people were wrongly accused of crimes they didn't commit. Yes, we walked through Mirkwood, for our own reason, but we've never attacked the elves. The dwarves were imprisoned for it! King Thranduil hasn't made any intention of hunting them down when they had escaped."

"This town isn't in the Woodland realm," Thorin added. "Therefore I speak to the Master of the town of the Men of the Lake."

The Master was doubtful about the matter. He knew well enough how powerful the elf king was, and he didn't wish him to be an enemy. By now more people had gathered outside the halls for they had heard from the arrival of the dwarves. There were even some who had begun to sing the old songs concerning the return of the King under the Mountain.

" _The King beneath the mountains, The King of carven stone, The lord of silver fountains Shall come into his own! His crown shall be upholden, His harp shall be restrung, His halls shall echo golden To songs of yore re-sung. The woods shall wave on mountains And grass beneath the sun; His wealth shall flow in fountains And the rivers golden run. The streams shall run in gladness, The lake shall shine and burn, And sorrow fail and sadness At the Mountain-king's return!_ "

Allie was familiar with the prophecy of Durin's folk that had been written such a long time ago. Every dwarf back in the Blue Mountain had known about it and clearly here in Lake-Town the people knew it by heart as well. They had used it as a hope for better times for this town and for the wealth from the mountain to restore the glory.

They all believed that Thorin was who he was claiming to be. The Master seemed extra excited about the arrival. "You and the rest of your company are all welcome to stay here in my town for as long as you would like," he told them. "You shall be treated as guests."

And that was how they found themselves gathered around the tables as more food was being ushered in. Because the people here was rather poor that meant that the main food resource that they had was fish from the lake, and that's why there was different sorts of fish on their plates. Despite that they ate enough of the food until their stomachs were filled as they listened to the people sing those old songs.

Allie drank some of the wine, which was rubbish compared to what the elves drank back in Mirkwood, as she observed the people of Lake-Town. Despite them being poor their spirits had been lifted because of their arrival and most of them were singing, dancing or drinking. Their merry laughter filled the halls.

After dinner they were escorted to the south part of town where there were some large houses that were big enough for the company to fit in. Most of the dwarves were divided in two houses. Only Allie was given a smaller house which she had by herself. Clearly they thought that a woman like her needed a space of her own.

Allie wasn't complaining at all because she longed for some peace and quiet. Still the dwarves were very close and she could visit them whenever she wanted which was a nice thing to look forward to. Since she had missed their presence enormously during their stay in Mirkwood she would definitely visit them often.

Allie let herself fall backwards onto the bed. The mattress was slightly lumpy, but it wasn't so bad. It would had to do for now.


	31. Time off

**Chapter 31: Time off**

The following morning Allie awoke around dawn. Some of the servants that the Master had provided for them, had left some clothes for her to wear. Allie observed and saw that this were children's clothing and therefore they wouldn't really fit her well because her body-shape was slightly different.

The dress that Allie had picked was a sequin mesh overlaying purple silk. The collar and the under bust belt were decorated with teal jewels and golden filigree. The sleeves were made of organic pin tucked ombre silk that fluttered with each step. They were held to the arm with a series of flowers and jeweled bands.

It truly was one of the prettiest and more detailed dresses that Allie had ever gotten to wear, and it was surprisingly comfortable. She wondered how a stunning dress like this had gotten amongst the people of Lake-Town who were incredibly poor. They couldn't afford the silk and no one here would wear such a dress. Perhaps it had been a gift from someone in Mirkwood.

Allie stepped outside the house that she was staying at and went towards the ones where the dwarves would be living during their stay here. Despite them being divided over two houses, they shared the same large dining room. As Allie entered it she found most of them gathered around the table.

"Allie!" Kili greeted her cheerfully. She smiled at him. "What are you going to do today?"

Allie hadn't put much thought into that yet, but she knew her answer. "I was hoping to have a look at their market," she replied. "I'm curious as to see what they sell here."

"That sounds dull," Fili responded with a sigh.

"We were planning to train," Kili said.

"I just want to look around this place," Ori added.

Allie then remembered something. "I still have something from you." She had brought the sketchbook with her and handed it back to Ori. "It didn't got damaged and it's exactly as you left it."

Ori flicked through the book in amazement, noticing that Allie spoke the truth. "Thank you for doing this for me," he said gratefully. "I will try and add more drawings of this place." With that the dwarf got up and hurried away.

"Do you need someone to escort you through this place?" Thorin asked her.

Allie shook her head. "No, I think I'll manage finding my way around." She grabbed a slice of bread from the table. "I shouldn't be out all day."

"Can I accompany you?" Bilbo then asked. Allie turned her head and saw the Halfling standing in the doorway where he had only just appeared. She was able to see the redness of his eyes from where she was standing, indicating that he was feeling under the weather.

"Are you sure about that?" Allie asked doubtfully, taking a bit from the bread. "You don't look too good."

Bilbo nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, Allie."

Allie gave him a long thoughtful look and wondered why he was being dishonest, but she said nothing of it. There was clearly as reason as to why Bilbo wanted to join her. "Alright, then," she said. "We best go."

And that's how the two of them left the guest house they were staying at and stepped outside into the autumn sun. Despite it being this early in the morning and this time of the year it wasn't that cold. Allie was glad that the dress that she was wearing was made of thick fabrics.

There were already lots of people out and about in the town and as they headed to the market they found this place was buzzing with excitement.

Bilbo sneezed and Allie turned her head so that she could look at him. "Bilbo, why won't you just admit that you're not feeling too well," she said concerned. "You don't have to pretend that you're alright."

As to confirm her words Bilbo sniffled. "I think I just caught a cold from being in the water. It's not so bad. I wanted to come with you, Allie."

Allie hooked her arm through his. "Thank you for doing that. I promise that we won't stay out here for too long so that I can look after you," she affirmed. She noticed that Bilbo wanted to protest. "It's alright. I want to do it."

And so she leaded him through the market place. Allie took her time in looking at the different stalls and to see what they had to offer here. Most stalls existed of all kinds of fish, which wasn't what she was looking for. What did awake her interest where the stalls that were showing all sorts of fabrics, necklaces, rings and other sorts of jewelry.

"Is there anything that you like?" Bilbo asked as he saw her eyeing a certain necklace. It was a silver necklace with dazzling flower marquise shape Amethyst. It was incredibly detailed and looked like something that a queen or a princess would wear. "Do you want that one?"

Allie gazed up at him. "It is very lovely."

Bilbo took that as an answer to come to action. He called out to the woman behind the stand. "How much does that one cost?" he asked as he pulled out a coin purse from his trouser pocket. Allie had her mouth slightly open in surprise. She wanted to disagree, but Bilbo clearly didn't want to have it. He handed the woman the coins that she required for it. He then looked at Allie. "May I?" Slowly, she nodded and turned her back to him. Bilbo gently pushed her hair aside so that her neck was bare. He could smell the scent of honey and jasmine flowers on her skin as she carefully clasped the necklace around her neck. He ran his fingers through her hair and pushed it back into place. Allie turned around once more, her face rather close to his. Bilbo felt her breathing against his cheek.

"It's beautiful, Bilbo," Allie said gratefully. "You didn't have to do this, but I want to thank you for doing this for me. I shall wear it with pride."

Bilbo flashed her a warm smile. "I wanted to give it to you, Allie."

Allie felt the butterflies inside her stomach doing somersaults, not wanting to believe that the man that she loved most ardently had gifted her with such a beautiful necklace. She leaned forwards to press a quick kiss on his cheek. "You are far too kind, Bilbo," she said fondly.

Allie bought a few rings and a sort of elven bracer piece for herself with her own money and pushed those into her bag. She now intertwined her fingers with Bilbo as they walked further across the market. There were even some young musicians playing some lovely tunes in the center.

As the hours went by Allie and Bilbo got some local food that the men of Lake-Town had recommended to them. It pretty much existed of a mix of fish and potatoes. They found a nice place to sit on a nearby wall. From that spot they had a good view of the buzzing market-place. They at their food in silence as they listened to their surroundings.

There were a couple of children playing with each other. Allie wasn't too sure what the game was that they were playing, but they seemed to be having fun.

"This fish tastes weird," Bilbo said quietly, his nose scrunched a little.

Allie chuckled. "I thought the same thing. For the people here this clearly is the best that they're food will get. We're simply used to better kinds of food it seems."

"You're right of course. This only makes me miss my own baked cakes more," Bilbo replied.

"I'd love to have some cake now. The cake you had baked when I was at Bag End was delicious." Allie licked her lips at the memory.

"They don't sell such cakes here sadly enough," Bilbo pointed out.

Allie hummed. "There will come a day when you'll be able to bake your cakes again, Bilbo."

He gazed into her icy blue eyes with his own blue ones. "Are you sure about that?" Bilbo slightly ruined the moment by letting out a loud sneeze.

Allie brought up her hands to cup his cheeks. "You poor thing. We should head back so that you can get some rest. You shouldn't be outside now." She could see that his nose was running and she felt how his skin was heated, letting her know that he also had a fever.

Bilbo shook his head. "Can't we just stay outside for a little while longer?" he asked her, sniveling. "I like spending time with you and I want to do that for as long as possible. I probably spend the rest of the day in bed anyway."

She was a bit doubtful. It was clear that he needed the rest in order to get better, but he was looking at her with those gorgeous eyes of his and she felt herself giving in. It would be impossible for her to deny him everything. "Fine. We'll go for a walk then."

Allie intertwined their fingers once more and guided Bilbo through the crowd in the market-place. They headed to a quieter place that Lake-Town had to offer. Allie was just simply pleased that she got to be here with Bilbo, for she liked to be with him.

The two of them walked past the armory, the great halls and a few inns. There was another group of children playing outside on the board-walk. When they caught sight of Allie their game came to a pause. "It's the dwarf woman!" one of them shrieked.

Five children rushed towards them and looked up at Allie. "Are you really a dwarf, miss?" a boy asked.

"Your dress is very pretty," a little girl told her.

Allie was a bit surprised by the attention that she was receiving. "Yes, I am a dwarf, but I'm also a hobbit," she replied. That only confused the children. "Do you want me to explain it to you with a story then?"

The children nodded excitedly and Allie began to tell them a story about her life back at the Blue Mountains and the several battles that she had fought in. Apparently she had a talent for telling stories since all the children were hanging onto her lips. Allie was a bit taken aback when she saw that a few grown up men had also gathered around them to listen to her story about life in the western corner of the world. She was well aware that men here had no reason to fight. They had no idea at kind of place Allie had grown up in. That meant that there was quite a bit left to their imagination.

As her story went on the crowd around her had only increased. Clearly more men had gotten aware of presence of the strange woman and wanted to know more about her. Allie noticed that there was a complete variety between the ages. Even some of the elder men had stopped to listen.

Allie's story came to an end and it surprised her when they all started to clap. That hadn't happened before and she was smiling nervously as her cheeks flushed as red as her hair.

"Marvelous tale, lass," a middle-aged man complimented her. "You're really good."

"Your life is so different than ours," one of the children said to her. "It's amazing. I wish I could be fighting orcs."

Allie's eyes widened at that. "Trust me when I say that it's not pleasant to fight with orcs. They're foul creatures and are consumed by darkness," she warned them.

"We've never had someone like you in these parts before. Did you really come to Lake-Town with all those dwarves and the Halfling, love?" an elder woman queried.

She nodded. "I did come here with all those dwarves and the hobbit," Allie clarified. She looked through the crowd for Bilbo and found him separated from them. His eyes had only reddened and she heard him sneezing and coughing. "I'm sorry." Allie got onto her feet, patting the skirt of her dress. "The hobbit has gotten sick on our way here and he needs to get some rest. Thanks for listening."

Allie made her way over to Bilbo, her arm around his shoulder. "You were good," he said with a faint voice, sneezing loudly once more.

"I'm going to take you back," Allie affirmed. She began to lead him away from the curious eyes from the crowd. Despite that Allie had never been in Lake-Town before she knew which way to go to make it back to the guest houses. They walked slowly, but they managed to make it back within ten minutes. Allie guided Bilbo to the room that he had stayed in the previous night with Bofur. Because Bilbo wasn't make a lot of sense anymore she took off the waistcoat he was wearing and carefully placed him in the bed, tugging him under the covers.

Bilbo immediately placed his head into the pillow and his eyes went close. Allie watched him for a few minutes and already heard the change in his breathing, indicating that he had fallen asleep. Because the dwarves had seen her bringing Bilbo back inside some of them stood behind her.

Oin, the one with the most knowledge of healing, went to examine Bilbo. "The lad has gotten a cold from being in the river for so long," he informed. "He should be fine with getting enough rest."

That wasn't any new information. She had already figured that there was nothing serious wrong with Bilbo and she was glad that he was sleeping now, getting the rest that he needed.


	32. Taking care

**Chapter 32: Taking care**

When Allie awoke the next morning the sun hadn't even risen yet, she simply wasn't able to get more sleep. Having enough of lying in bed she got up and put on some clean clothes. This time it was a simple burgundy blouse with a long yellowish skirt. It was made of cheaper fabrics and it was more something that people here would wear.

Allie went to the guest house and found that none of the dwarves had woken up yet. She quietly entered the room where Bilbo was staying and saw that the Halfling was soundly asleep, curled up like a ball underneath the covers. Bofur was snoring loudly at the other bed on the other side of the room.

Allie neared Bilbo's bed and gently placed her hand against his forehead, causing him to mummer softly. His temperature was still hot and the fever hadn't lowered during the night. She sat down at the chair next to the bed. She just continued to sit there, focusing on Bilbo's deep breathing. Eventually it soothed her to close her eyes and to drift asleep herself.

Unknown for how long she had slept Allie woke up when she heard the quiet voices of people talking with each other from the other room. Allie rubbed her eyes and then saw her father standing in the threshold of the room. The stubborn dwarf King didn't look pleased when took sight of Allie's hand. She looked down and saw that in his sleep Bilbo had grabbed her hand, and wasn't letting go of it. Instead he was sort of clinging onto it.

Without saying a word Thorin turned around and left again. Allie sighed, massaging her temple. She couldn't believe that her father had witnessed something as innocent like that. Allie wasn't sure how to feel about that. She was convinced that Thorin now believed that there was something more than friendship between her and Bilbo and was that what she wanted him to know. She hated lying more than anything, but her love with Bilbo was so new. She wasn't sure if she was ready to share that with someone else.

Carefully Allie pulled her hand back from Bilbo without waking him. She then left the bedroom and found her father in the main chamber. It seemed that the rest of the company was still sleeping so it was just the two of them.

"Is there something I ought to know?" Thorin asked her. He was sitting in the chair near the large dining table, his gaze focused on Allie.

She swallowed, thinking about her answer. "What do you want me to say?"

"I just want you to be honest with me, Allie. That's all that I care about now," Thorin explained. "You used to trust me with everything and I hope that you still do that now. Is there something that you want to tell me?" He was clearly giving her an opportunity to come clear to him by herself.

Allie sat down in the chair next to her father, fidgeting with her fingers. She wasn't sure how she should possibly react to this. "I-I... Uhm," she stammered, trying to find the right words that could say.

"Whatever it is you can tell me," Thorin encouraged her in a friendly matter.

"Bilbo and I," Allie began, drawing in a sharp breath. She knew then that she had no choice than to come clean about this. Her father deserved the truth and she wanted to give it to him, simply because she wanted to talk with someone about this. Her gaze met Thorin's ice eyes, which reminded her of her own. "We like each other. A lot," she admitted truthfully. "I'd say that we would be in love. We grew to care more for each other every day and it feels so right. I've never felt like this for anyone else, Khagam."

Thorin paused for a moment as he took in this information. "So, you are saying that you and Bilbo are -"

"We just spent time with each other," Allie cut him off. "I'm not sure what it is that we're doing exactly. All I know is that it feels incredibly good to be around him. When I'm with him I'm happy and isn't that all that matters?"

"And it doesn't matter that he's a hobbit?"

"No, it does not!" Allie firmly responded. "You married a hobbit. Why should something as irrelevant as that matter? I care a great deal for the wonderful and caring man that Bilbo is. I know that he's not the wealthy dwarven noble that you wanted me to be with."

"Did I ever give you that impression, Gemez?" Thorin queried. He gave her a reassuring smile. "I was actually already waiting for this to happen for quite a while to tell you the truth. Bilbo has seemed to have cared for you from the start and at first I wasn't too sure what to do about that. How could I be alright with another man loving my daughter? Then I realized that you returned those feelings and that didn't seem to matter anymore. What I find most important is your happiness. I simply never expected that you would find it with Bilbo, but I'm glad that you found it."

Allie's mind was somewhat blown by her father's explanation. She had no idea that he had known about this for a while, and even before she did. This was honestly the last reaction that she had expected. There were even some tears roaming down her cheeks. "What do you mean, Khagam?"

Thorin grabbed hold of her hands and gave her an encouraging smile. "When I first realized that I loved your mother I was scared too because I knew that my kin would never approve. Never before had a dwarf fallen in love with a Halfling and when she got pregnant with you everyone was excited and thrilled for a new heir to the throne, and it didn't matter that you would be part Halfling. You mother made me happy man and I always wanted you to find someone who would make you equally as happy. Then I found you with Nyad and you know well enough how that ended. Allie, if he makes you happy then who am I to question it?"

Overwhelmed by her emotions Allie threw her arms around her father, who eagerly returned the embrace. "You will always be the first man that I ever loved," she reassured him.

Thorin chuckled deeply. "I'd sure hope so, Allie." He pulled her closer against him. "I can assure you that it will take some time for me to get used to you loving someone else, but I will definitely do my best."

"Thank you for being so supportive," Allie said gratefully. "I'd never dared to imagine you would give this your blessing. I honestly thought that you wouldn't approve. I cannot thank you enough." She wasn't able to get that grin of her face.

"It's alright, Gemez. I would never disapprove of something that makes you happy," he soothed and kissed her forehead. After their little moment they broke their embrace and Allie went to prepare some food and a drink for Bilbo. At that moment more dwarves had woken and from the way that they were now looking at Allie she knew that they had heard her talking with her father... They knew about her and Bilbo. It officially wasn't a secret anymore. Allie was unsure about how Bilbo was going to react to this situation when he found out.

Allie entered the guest room once more, placing the platter of food on the nightstand. Bofur had left the room by now and it was just her and Bilbo. The hobbit had woken from his sleep and was shivering slightly as he gazed up at her. "Allie," he said faintly. "How late is it?"

Allie sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through his auburn curls. "The sun has only just risen. You've slept for quite some time," she told him sweetly. "I brought something to drink and to eat for you should you need it."

Bilbo flashed her a weak smile. "You are too kind."

Allie kissed his forehead lovingly. "I told you that I would take care of you." She tugged him closer under the blanket. "How are you feeling?" She couldn't tell him that everyone knew about them. Not when he was feeling this way. She simply had to wait for him to get better.

"I've felt better," he softly joked. "My throat hurts and I'm cold."

"I made you some tea with honey," Allie said. "That should help with the throat."

She helped Bilbo with sitting upright and handed him the damping mug. The tea here in Lake-Town wasn't anything special, but Allie hoped that the warmth of the beverage would have some effect on him. She helped him with drinking the tea until he had finished it.

"Do you want something to eat as well?" Allie asked him. "I've got some porridge. You should be able to eat that without any struggle."

" 'M not hungry," Bilbo muttered in response.

"You should get more sleep, Bilbo," Allie suggested. "It will help you regain your strength."

Bilbo didn't argue with her. He simply sneezed a couple of times and closed his eyes again. Allie assisted him with getting comfortable in the bed. He placed his head on the pillow once more and within a couple of minutes he had fallen asleep. He must've been exhausted, which was completely understandable when you're having a cold.

"Allie?" Kili asked softly as he stepped into the room. Allie looked away from Bilbo to her younger cousins.

By simply noticing the look on their faces she knew why they were here. "You know?" she guessed.

They nodded in union. "We heard you talking to Thorin earlier," Fili explained. Allie could only glare in return. "It's alright, Allie. We came here to tell you that we understand."

"We already had suspicion that there was something going on between the two of you," Kili went on. "That's why me and Fili wanted to talk to you. Back then we had no idea about the intentions of Bilbo's heart, but now we know. The two of you are smitten with each other. And Allie, if there is someone who deserves to be loved then it's you."

"You two have known about this all the time?" Alllie asked them. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise anymore because her father had figured it out as well. Still Allie believed that she and Bilbo had been so cautious around each other.

"We did," Fili confirmed. "To tell you the truth most of the dwarves knew. One only had to see you and Bilbo share a glance with each other to know about it. There were lots of bets about it going on as well."

Allie pressed her lips together. "What kind of bets exactly?"

"About when you would confess your love to each other," Kili explained. "We all know and it's alright, Allie."

Allie paused for a moment, eyeing her cousins. "You know that you two are kind of wonderful," she said fondly.

"We are aware of that," Fili teased. "We will watch over Bilbo so that you can do something else. He'll be in good hands."

Allie appreciated their sweet offer and kissed them both on their cheeks before she left the guest house. As she stepped outside she saw that it was still rather early in the morning. This time there were less people outside then there had been the previous day.

Allie decided to go for a walk and to get some fresh air. She simply needed some time for herself after everything that had happened earlier. The thing that kept appearing in the back of her mind was that she didn't have to hide her affections towards Bilbo, because everyone in the company was supportive about it. That was something she hadn't expected would happen, but it did cause her heart to jump.

She did remember the words Galadriel had said to her in her dreams all that time ago. " _The last thing you seek is love, to be adorned with love and to return it to someone worthy. I will give you one tiny glimpse of what you future holds and you will find love."_

Back then she had thought it to be a joke and had never dared to imagine that someone would truly love her. Then Bilbo had proved her wrong and they were in love and he was someone worthy. He must've been the one that the Lady Galadriel had spoken about. Still months after meeting Bilbo here they were and she couldn't think of a day without having Bilbo at her side. That was something she had never thought about anyone else before. Bilbo Baggins truly was the man that made her knees go weak and could make her all go giddy like a silly girl and Allie didn't matter him having that effect on her at all. She couldn't wait to tell Bilbo about everything that had happened here, but he had to get better first.

While Allie was so lost in her own thoughts she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and she nearly ran into an eleven year old girl that ran across the platform. She was able to grab the girl's shoulders before she would hit her knees.

"Sorry, ma'm," the girl apologized. She had honey colored hair and a friendly face with bright eyes.

Allie flashed her a warm smile. "It's alright. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either." She carefully let go off the girl.

"You're the dwarf woman," the girl said in awe. "I heard you telling your story about the Blue Mountains yesterday."

Their conversation came to a halt when a man called out the girl's name. "Tilda!" They both turned their heads and saw a middle-aged man approaching them. He had long dark hair with matching facial hair. He had a stern expression on his face which softened when he looked at his daughter. At his side he had two more children.

One was another girl which was the eldest. She looked a lot like Tilda. Then there was a boy who was the middle child of the family. He shared his father's looks and dark features.

"You can't just run of like that," the man scolded Tilda. He then took sight of Allie and figured together who she was. "You came here with those dwarves, didn't you?"

Allie nodded cautiously, not liking the disapproving look of the man. "Yes, I am. I'm the daughter of Thorin Oakenshield, if you want to know."

"My name is Bard and you've already met my daughter Tilda," he said. He also introduced his other daughter, Sigrid, and his son, Bain. "Are you and the dwarves honestly intending to wake the dragon?"

Allie blinked. "Well.. N-no, not exactly. We don't even know if the dragon is still alive."

"And what if Smaug still lives? Have you ever thought of what would happen if you would fail and the dragon would escape?" Bard demanded to know. "He would kill us all."

"I have thought about it and I cannot say if that were to happen," Allie muttered.

"You and those dwarves only risk everyone's lives with those beautiful promises to restore the wealth to the town, but you will fail," Bard affirmed. He gave her a thoughtful look and then turned around, his children right behind him.

Allie could still feel the bitterness and the disapproval from the man until he was well around the corner and cursed under her breath. _What if he was right?_


	33. Becoming one

**Chapter 33: Becoming one**

For the next couple of days Allie stayed at Bilbo's side. There was barely any change in Bilbo's condition and he spent the largest of the times sleeping. Occasionally during the nights he woke up for a little while and he would talk with Allie who would be there with something for him to eat and to drink and these times he took both. After he had eaten he usually fell asleep again.

As time went on the days basically blurred into another and Allie had no idea how long she had been sitting there at his bedside. She had barely gone outside at all since her encounter with Bard, fearing that she would run into the man again and that he would lash at her. That was why she continued to stay here, making sure that she wouldn't miss out on anything.

The furthest she had gone in days was to the kitchen where she would grab something to eat and to drink for herself. She even slept in the chair at Bilbo's bedside, instead of in the own guest house that she was staying in. None of the dwarves asked her anything about her constantly being here.

Oin stood at the Halfling's bedside, examining Bilbo once more. He would come and see him a couple of times a day. "Allie, he's improving. I'd say that he should be awake and his old self again this time tomorrow," the old dwarf informed her.

At that news she couldn't help but grin. "That's great to hear, Oin. He's been under the weather for far too long."

"I know, but he's been in the river for quite a while and his skin isn't as thick as us dwarves," Oin went on. "It's all going to be alright. You should get some rest yourself. I shall inform the others about this." With that Oin left the room.

Allie knew that now that Bilbo was on the mend that her father would want to head to Erebor as soon as possible. They had already lost enough time and Durin's Day was incredibly close and they could need all the time for reaching the mountain and finding the door in time.

With the knowledge that Bilbo would be fine Allie went to the guest house she was staying in. Allie put on her nightclothes and buried herself under the covers. It had been a while since she had gotten a good night's rest and therefore it didn't take long until she drifted asleep.

~~0~~~0~~0~~

Because Allie was so exhausted she slept for a long time. It was already late in the morning by the time that she got out of bed and put on another simple dress, like the one she had worn on the day Bilbo had taken her to the market. Only this time it was a green dress with a turquoise coloured top.

As Allie stepped outside the bedroom she found her father waiting for her. "Awh, Allie. You're awake," he said with a smile. "I came to tell you that the Master of this town is organizing a feast for us tonight because we plan to leave the next morning."

"Is everyone going to this feast?" Allie asked him.

Thorin nodded. "I know all the dwarves are. Bilbo told us no because he needs this last day of rest before we set out."

"That makes sense," Allie said. "I will not be going as well. You know that I'm not too fond of feasts and the thought of wine and drunk singing men isn't very tempting so I'll pass for now."

Thorin chuckled as he approached her. "No surprise there. I have to ask you, do the elves party differently than us dwarves?"

"Not precisely. They are more elegant in their partying I have to say," Allie replied. "Still they're excellent drinkers and they don't get drunk easily compared to dwarves."

"We dwarves don't get drunk easily."

Allie scoffed. "Sure, you don't." She then went to pick the sword that Thranduil had given to her before she had left Mirkwood and handed it to her father. She had forgotten about returning it earlier. "Thranduil gave me this before I left. I felt that it should belong to its rightful owner."

Thorin kissed her forehead in a grateful manner. "Thank you, for doing that, Gemez."

Shortly after that they went to the other guest house and Allie spent most of that time chatting with the dwarves and listening to their exciting prattle about tonight's feast, and she was only glad that she wouldn't be coming along with them.

When the dwarves left around dusk towards the feast Allie headed back to the guest house that she was staying in by herself. She had gotten hungry and watched how two servants placed all kinds of food on the table. There was quite a lot of food and Allie didn't intend to eat it all by herself. Instead she was waiting for someone else.

When the servants were gone Bilbo entered the room a few minutes later. He was wearing his usual clothes, but they had been fixed by a local seamstress. Bilbo wrapped his arm around Allie from behind and placed kisses on the back of her neck. Allie was pleased to feel him against her. "I'm so glad that you're better again," she said thankfully, letting him place more kisses.

Bilbo kissed underneath her ear. "So am I, Allie Fairchild," he responded. "I've gotten quite hungry and this smells great."

And so they sat down at the table, their seats next to each other. This time the different kinds of fish had been prepared in various ways. Despite that Allie wasn't a huge fan of fish she ate her dinner because she had been famished.

"There is something that I want to tell you," Allie began halfway through their meal which earned Bilbo's curiosity. "I just want you to know that everyone in the company knows about our true feelings." Bilbo's jaw slightly dropped. "There is no need to worry, Bilbo. They've all been incredibly supportive and kind about it, even my father."

Bilbo wasn't expecting to hear that at all. "He's approving of us?" Bilbo queried unsure. "I've always believed that Thorin would be the one who resented us together the most."

Allie nodded. "I feared the same thing, but he wasn't in the slightest. We talked about it. My father was in love with a hobbit himself so he knows what it's like. He just said that he wouldn't come between something that makes me happy. He most definitely approves of us."

"You're sure he doesn't hate me now that knows?"

"Bilbo, he has known for a little while," Allie informed him. "Let me tell you that he doesn't hate you or doesn't want to run you through with Orcrist if that's what you're fearing.

Bilbo blinked a few times. "And the others? You told me everyone knew about us."

"They have known for ages actually," Allie said with a smile. "I guess we weren't as secretive as we thought. Some of them even placed bets on when we would finally come clean about our feelings. I don't think my father participated in those bets, but the rest of the company surely did."

"Maybe Gandalf did as well," Bilbo joked with a grin, making Allie laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I often saw Gandalf giving me these knowing looks whenever I would be sitting next to you. I guess he knew from the very start. It sure changes some things."

Allie addressed him a loving smile as she reached for his hand. "Well, at least we don't have to hide anymore. That is a very positive change."

Bilbo hummed thoughtfully. "So, that means that I can just kiss you and that no one will batch an eye?"

She giggled at that. "That is exactly what it means, Bilbo. You can kiss me whenever you like and I can assure you that I wouldn't mind that at all."

When the food was eaten Bilbo held out his hand which Allie took and helped her onto her feet. Before she could say anything Bilbo's lips came crashing down on hers into a hard kiss, which only softened when Allie returned it. They walked backwards into the bedroom as Bilbo licked her bottom lip. Allie opened herself to him, bringing her hands into his curls. Their tongues met each other for the first time in a powerful, sensual dance.

She could taste the fish and the beverage that he had drunk during dinner on his lips, and was so Bilbo. Allie simply couldn't get enough of it and wanted to pull him closer, wanting to feel him against her. Bilbo was latching open-mouthed kisses, soothing licks and slightly nips onto her neck on the exposed skin there. Allie raised her head to give him better excess.

"A-Allie," he breathed, pulling back a little. He gazed into her eyes, with his own which had darkened with lust. "I-I really want this, but if we don't stop now then -"

Allie shook her head. "It's alright, Bilbo," she whispered. "Just for tonight let's forget everything else. Don't worry about anything. I just want tonight to be about you and me." She kissed him lightly as she began unlacing her dress. "Forget everything but us."

"Have you ever lain with another man before? Bilbo asked her.

"No, I have not. I want it to be you, Bilbo," Allie encouraged him.

He had no idea that sweet and bold Allie Fairchild was so innocent and inexperienced and was offering her body to him, to the man that she loved with all her heart.

Bilbo wrapped one arm round her waist to pull her closer, his lips eager on hers. He gently moved his fingers to help her undress, clumsily pulling at the laces. Allie noticed his struggle and let out a soft laugh as she took over and let the dress fall down to her ankles. Bilbo's throat went dry as he took in the sight of her body, completely exposed to him in the firelight. Her breasts were the right size and Allie was elegantly curved in the right places. He could see the white scar on her lower abdomen. Her coarse hair was the same colour as that on her head. Allie looked like a gift from the Valar, and Bilbo's throat went dry at the sight of her.

Allie had never shown herself like that to another man and resisted the urge to cover herself. "Don't cover yourself. You're so beautiful, Allie." His eyes met hers and he licked his lips. She blushed. "I know that you've never done this before, but I want to show you how much that I love you. I don't want to disappoint you."

"You won't," Allie whispered, shaking her head. She could feel her body burning with the desire to have him in the most intimate way. "I've never wanted anything as much as you, Bilbo. I love you."

Bilbo closed the distance between them and his lips were on hers again, hot and needy, his tongue plunging into the depths of her mouth. Their heated skin touched and Allie could only gasp. Bilbo was placing more kisses down her neck as his fingers touched the bare skin bellow. He leaned down to cup her hardened breast, kneading them. It was impossible for Allie not to make a noise, making Bilbo smirk.

His hands fitted nicely on her breast and when he replaced them with his mouth, Allie felt her head swim... She had never felt anything better than his tongue lazily swirling around her nipple. Bilbo took his time with his administrations, and they sent waves and waves to her core. He switched breast, giving them both the devotion that they needed. He simply enjoyed the feeling of them. His mouth then kissed and nipped its way back to her lips.

"Are you liking it, Allie?" he asked between kisses.

"Mahal, Bilbo," Allie cried out. "I want to touch you too. Need to."

Bilbo disagreed. "No, not tonight. Tonight is all about you and I want you to feel good." He continued to kiss her until they were both gasping for breath. He lifted her and placed her on the bed, his hand slowly trailing down her thigh. He kissed a trail up her leg, placing soft kisses on her ankle. Allie squirmed quietly at him touching places where she had never been touched before.

"I love you, my beautiful Allie," he said in pure adoration, kissing inside her tight. "I want to show you how it all feels like in the best way that I can."

Like that he gently pushed a finger inside of her, making Allie whimper softly. Bilbo felt how warm and wet she was and the scent of her made him dizzy. Allie's hands went into Bilbo's hair as she held onto his curls, slightly tugging him. Bilbo groaned when he rubbed her clit. He felt Allie clench around him in pleasure, which reacted to his erection which was becoming uncomfortable in his breeches. Right now he had to ignore that, because he had to focus on Allie.

Allie raised her hips when Bilbo inserted a second fingers, which reached some nerves inside of her. Once again Allie thought that nothing could ever feel this good, but Bilbo proved her wrong once more when he replaced his fingers with his mouth. The warm feeling and the soft lips on her core made Allie's heart nearly jump outside her chest. Bilbo's tongue gently swirled around her clit. It had been a long time since he had last done this but when Allie moaned as he closed his mouth over her nub and sucked he knew he was doing it right. All that mattered now was to pleasure Allie in the best way that he could and to adorn her with his love for her.

He increased the pressure and Allie bucked her hips with a soft mutter. Bilbo had to tighten his hold on her tights as he continued to let his tongue probing inside her, which was enough to send her over the edge. Allie cried out his name when her muscles clenched and she reached her climax. Bilbo watched her with a fond look on his face as she recovered from her first orgasm.

Allie was completely in awe and gestured for him to come closer. Bilbo kissed his way up her body. Allie ran her hand through his hair as she kissed him with so much eagerness. "That was amazing," she said with a whisper, tasting herself on his lips.

"I just wanted to please you, Allie," Bilbo responded truthfully.

He had been so focused on Allie that he hadn't noticed when Allie cleverly unlaced his breeches. He had completely forgotten about his own erection and let out a low growl when Allie grabbed him by the base of his cock with clumsy hands.

"Allie, what are you doing?" Bilbo asked unsure, his voice raw.

Allie stared deeply into his eyes. "I want you," Allie clarified. "Inside of me."

Bilbo's throat went dry at such a simple request. "Are you sure? There's no need for us to do this. I'm already happy with just falling asleep next to you later."

"I know what I want, Bilbo," Allie affirmed. "I want it to be you, please." She helped him out of his clothing's, completely exposing him. It was true that Bilbo wasn't as muscular as the dwarves that she had seen, but there was something about his body that made her cheeks heat. She let her fingers run across his abdomen. She saw that Bilbo was hard and ready for her. She felt herself blushing because she was having that effect on him.

"It's not too late to stop," Bilbo whispered and Allie raised her face, shaking her head quickly.

"I don't want to stop." She gently reached for his hands and pulled him onto the bed, her body underneath his. "We both want this."

"But it's going to hurt, Allie," Bilbo warned. "It will not be my intention to do so."

"I know. It's alright. I just need you," she pleaded urgently before his lips returned to hers. He hooked his hands under her knees to spread her legs further apart, and then gently shifted his weight to move between her legs. He lined up his cock at her entrance. He stared down at Allie once more, who nodded for him to continue. She felt him nudge her entrance, but he slid into her slowly and gently. Allie gasped at the discomfort which made Bilbo stop. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop." She ignored the tears stinging in her eyes. There was a dull ache of need as her body welcomed his invasion.

Slowly, Bilbo breathed as he fully sank into her. He was overwhelmed with the feeling of being inside her. Bilbo withdrew slightly and pushed back a little harder as Allie clenched around him. The pain had been replaced by pleasure and she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. She circled her legs around him, pulling him deeper inside her which made them both moan. Her body moved instinctively with her need to touch him. They began moving rapidly against each other as they kissed, which was something Allie could never tire from.

While Bilbo moved within her, Allie felt that unknown and delicious feeling knotting inside her core. Bilbo was sucking her lower lip, his body snapping to hers in short and hard strokes now. A fire coursed through her body, consuming her fully. Allie sucked hard underneath his ear when her release came suddenly and could only say his name. As she convulsed around him, Bilbo moved with shorter jerks inside her, his fingers digging into her tight. She felt his felt his seed spilling into her, filling her, as let out a deep groan which was mixed with the sound of her name.

Bilbo collapsed onto her, his skin slick with sweat. Their hearts were beating hard in time with each other. When Bilbo had caught his breath and had softened he pulled out, rolled off of her and pulled her into his arms. Allie put her head on his chest, quietly thanking whoever was responsible for bringing him into her life.

"Are you hurt?" Bilbo asked quietly.

Allie gazed up into his eyes. "No, I'm not. It was wonderful, Bilbo. Thank you." She ached with the feeling of him inside of her, but kissed his chest. "I'm grateful that you were my first."

Bilbo could only grin as he met her lips into a soft kiss, which was filled with love. "I love you, Allie Fairchild," he swore. "With all my heart."

"I love you too, Bilbo Baggins," Allie assured him. She let out a soft yawn as exhaustion washed over her. "We should get some sleep."

Bilbo tightened his hold on her. Within a matter of minutes Allie had drifted asleep and he observed the movement of her chest in the dim candlelight until he fell asleep himself, utterly happy because of the consummation of their love.


	34. To the mountain

**Chapter 34: To the mountain**

Bilbo woke up incredibly early when he felt how Allie's curls tickled his cheek. He could smell the scent of daises from her skin everywhere from the soap she had used the other day. Allie was still soundly asleep, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Her bare breasts were pressed against his side and Bilbo couldn't feel happier. He had never thought that he would be lying here like this with a woman in his arms and could feel so good about it. He knew that Allie was different from the women he had been with before and she was able to make him forget them. All he could think about was how Allie had changed his life.

By simply looking at her sleeping form, the peaceful expression on her face and her beautiful feature Bilbo felt his chest tighten at the thought that a woman like Allie had chosen him. There was some fear that if he let her go that she would leave him.

Bilbo was also a bit fearful that they had taken things too far yesterday and that Allie as going to regret it when she woke up. He had never intended for things between them to move so fast, but he never would've done it if Allie hadn't given her blessings. She had told him that she wanted this repeatedly and she seemed to have been enjoying herself throughout it. She had looked so happy that they were doing this.

Allie woke up before he had the chance to do anything and leaned upwards, pressing herself further against him. She felt herself going giddy at the thought of how intimate they had been the previous night and couldn't stop grinning. "You look adorable with a bed-head," Allie said, ruffling his curls to demonstrate. "It suits you."

Bilbo chuckled. "Your opinion about that is the only one that matters." The smile then faded from his face and he changed to a more serious manner. "Allie, I want you to tell me if you regret what we did yesterday, because then it won't happen again and -"

"Bilbo, I didn't regret it one bit. I told you that this is what we both wanted several times and I meant that. I enjoyed every second of it. Unless you've regretted it."

"Allie," he gently called her name, but she kept talking.

"If you are fearful that it was indeed a mistake then I want you to be honest with me, Bilbo," Allie insisted. There was a frown between her eyebrows. She paused for a second. "Also you shouldn't worry that this will result into something else. It's impossible for me to conceive after all."

Bilbo was stunning and puzzled that she thought like that. "Allie, you're acting like a fool. I could never regret what happened between us. I've been more than thankful that it happened. I was merely scared that you would think that we've gone too far yesterday because you always told me you wanted to take it slow."

There was a smile tugging at her lips. "We already took it way too slow, Bilbo. Don't worry about it. We both wanted this to happen and I'm more than happy that it was you," she admitted cheerfully.

"Allie, I know that your past has been a rather painful one. I want you to know that no one will ever hurt you again. I will not allow it," he promised her.

"You are the most wonderful man, Bilbo Baggins," she said in admiration, pulling him in for a searing kiss. She could get used to waking up like this and having Bilbo so close with her. That was where she wanted him to be. "I would gladly want to continue where we left of last night, but I'm sure that we should meet the others soon. We have a mountain to go to."

"The sun hasn't even risen yet," Bilbo pointed out with a low voice. "We have some time."

"Oh, you are wicked." Allie giggled as Bilbo flipped her over so that she was underneath him and she allowed him to make love to her again. She wasn't complaining in the slightest because she felt complete and whole when he was inside of her and she couldn't get enough of him touching her.

"I think we should best go. I don't want the others to find us in this state," Allie said, kissing his jaw. She was already growing bolder with her administrations for Bilbo. "We're probably never going to hear the end of it if they do."

Bilbo didn't argue with her and they got out of bed. The local seamstress had left some clothes behind for her in the closet, which were fit for travelling. She put on a brown blouse which was made with soft patterned fabric, decorated with lace and had trim and six bronze tone metal claps. It had long V-shaped sleeves, which gave the whole blouse something elegant. She matched it with black breeches which were precisely the right size. Finishing the look she put on a pair of brown leather boots, which she would need for the endless walking towards the mountain. Today she let her hair hang loose, framing her face.

Bilbo wore the same outfit as usual, only this time he wore a long dark blue jacket that the seamstress had made for him. He also had a light brown pair of fingerless, knitted mittens. With this jacket his outfit looked different and new.

"Ready?" Allie asked him, neatening his blouse.

He nodded. "Ready." He placed one final kiss against her lips which lingered for a couple of seconds before they walked out of the guest house together. As they exited they saw that the dwarves were already packed and ready to leave. The Master of Lake-Town was there. The man looked slightly pleased to see them go and Allie figured that they were much too expensive guest too keep. There were also some of the citizens that looked at everything from a close distance.

The Master cleared his throat. "Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thorin!" he said. "What help that we can offer you and your kin shall be yours, and we shall show you our gratitude when the kingdom of Erebor is regained!"

By now it was late autumn and there weren't many days left for them to find the hidden door. The winds were cold and leaves were fallen with haste now. The people of Lake-Town had three large boats laden with rowers, the dwarves, Bilbo and Allie, and many provisions. Ponies had seen sent round certain paths to meet them at their appointed landing-place.

The master and his councilors bade them farewell from the great steps of the town-hall that they were standing on that went down to the lake. There were people singing on the docks and from their windows.

The oars dipped and splashed in the water and off the company went north up the lake towards the last stage of the journey. The only person who seemed displeased with that was Bilbo and Allie noticed the grim expression on his face. She knew well enough that he was fearful about what could await them when they had reached the mountain and if Smaug would still be alive.

Now that the entire company was aware of their relationship Allie felt slightly uncomfortable. Despite that Fili and Kili had told her that they all understood she had the idea as if they were all watching her. Perhaps it was simply her imagination. She fidgeted with the necklace that Bilbo had bought her.

"Something the matter, lass?" Balin asked. The old dwarf had his cloak tugged tightly around himself as he sat beside her.

"Do you think that Smaug still is alive?" Allie answered instead. She had to admit that she was quite curious about the fire-breathing dragon's whereabouts as well. The thought of coming face to face with Smaug wasn't that pleasing.

"I wish that I could give an answer to that, but no one in Middle-Earth can saw that for certain," Balin responded grimly. "Smaug hasn't been seen for more than sixty years after all." Allie always appreciated the dwarf his honesty and his advice that he usually gave her. It was something she had grown incredibly fond over during her life.

"I hope not," Bofur interfered, sitting down at the other side of Allie. "I don't fancy being roasted."

"I honestly don't think Smaug will give you a choice should it come to that," Allie replied with a shudder. "Let's hope for all of our sakes that the dragon truly is dead and has been for all those years."

"I agree with Miss Allie," Dori chimed in.

"Me too," Kili said. "That will give us a better opportunity to get to the gold."

"Is that all that you care about?" Allie asked her cousin with a frown.

Kili shrugged nonchalantly. "No, but it is nice to think about."

While the dwarves talked about gold, as they did often, Allie's gaze lingered to her father. He was standing with Bilbo at the front of the boat. Both men were staring ahead of themselves, not talking with another. Since Allie already knew what was on Bilbo's mind she wondered what could be troubling her father like that and she had a vague idea. He must be thinking about if the Arkenstone would still be inside the mountain. It was the dwarves right to rule after all.

"What would you do with your share of the gold, Allie?" Gloin asked.

"I'd buy a lot of food," Bombur grumbled.

"I have no interest in gold," Allie pointed out and that clearly stunned the others around her.

"No, she already has someone to keep her bed warm," Fili joked. "What more can she need?"

Allie felt how her entire face went beet red at the teasing words of her cousin. It wasn't that Fili was lying, she just wasn't used to someone talking about her love for Bilbo like that in front of everyone to hear. Still, warmth washed over her because she did have Bilbo and that was very important to her.

"Don't tease the lass," Balin scolded the younger dwarf.

"I'd watch your tongue," Dwalin warned Fili, giving him a stern glare.

Allie was surprised by the dwarves protection of her. They had always been incredibly loyal to her and she was grateful for it. "Lads, there's no need for that. I appreciate your concern, but it's fine," she reassured them.

"Precisely," Bofur grumbled. "At least she has someone to warm her bed."

Allie cursed under her breath in Khuzdul as most of the dwarves now began to complain about the lack of dwarven women along this quest. It was slightly uncomfortable for her to listen to this, so she tried to pay little attention to what was being said. Instead she focused of the sound of the waves hitting the side of the boats.

The air got colder and the lake was beginning to freeze, making their progress to the mountain tougher. The further they went the more Allie buried herself in the coat that she had been given before they had departed. It was a bit worn and a simple grey color, but it had fur on the inside and should keep her warm. To finish the outfit she had a soft yellow knitted scarf and fingerless mittens. With it she didn't feel as if she would freeze to death.

This definitely wasn't her favorite time of the year. The low temperature and not being able to leave the house without wearing warm attire to keep heated always gave her a grim mood. She was someone who loved the feeling of the sun warming her skin and being able to wear clothes made of light material. This was the complete opposite. It even got colder as they neared the northern bank.

"We will not escort you to the mountain," the captain of the guard informed them. "We will bring you to the shore and no further." His men were glancing restlessly at the icy water. They had been rowing for the largest part of the night and the river current was going fast enough so that the ice couldn't follow.

"It's already growing far too cold for my liking," Nori complained, rubbing his hands together in the effort to warm himself.

"We better get used to it," Balin responded grimly. "Winter is close and it will only get colder in these parts."

That wasn't a very uplifting thing to think about. Allie could only hope that they would reach Erebor before that.

It was early in the morning when the men pulled the boats onto the shore and everyone got out and unloaded their packs. The captain of the guard nodded. "This is as far as we'll go," the man said. "May luck be with you, Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror. Let's hope your quest will succeed."

Thorin extended his hand to the man. "We will repay you when we've restored the glory to Erebor," he promised.

The company watched how the captain and his sailors began their journey back to Lake-Town. They had the favor of going up the river this time, which would fasten their way.

"So, Erebor," Allie said softly, standing next to her father. "We're getting very close now." She looked up and could see the large mountain gleaming through the snow. She felt somewhat excited to see the place where some of her kin had come from. "How does it feel to be here again?"

"It feels strange," Thorin admitted truthfully. "I haven't been here in so long. The last time I was here everything was in flames and there people screaming and there were bodies everywhere. We left everything behind on that day."

"I do hope that it will be different this time," Allie replied, trying to be optimistic. "If Smaug is truly death all will be good. Then we can enter the mountain without any hassle. What do we do if the dragon is still alive?"

"Then we have no choice but to find the hidden door," Thorin clarified. "That also means that we'll have to send someone inside the mountain." Allie had a strange feeling in her gut at her father's words. She said nothing of what she thought about it.

"We'll see about that when it comes to that," Allie said. "Come on. We should go."

With that she and her father joined the rest of the company.


	35. The talk

**Chapter 35: The Talk**

When night fell the company set up an encampment with the supplies the people of Lake-Town had provided them with. There was enough food for all of them to at least last them a week. With it Bofur and Bombur had made a stew and had handed them out to everyone.

Allie stared lazily at the flames from the campfire in front of her, feeling the warmth coming from it. She was sitting next to Bilbo and he was eating his stew in silence. Allie could tell that he too felt slightly unease because of what the dwarves might tease him with about his relationship with Allie. He knew well enough how much they all cared for her and wanted to protect her. He could feel some of them looking at her.

As Allie noticed his discomfort she slipped the fingers of her free hand with his, wanting to reassure him. As her skin touched his she felt a slight spark and she was able to see Bilbo blush even with the light of the campfire. No one else seemed to say anything about it. Bilbo appreciated her kind gesture.

"I'm bored," Kili complained, leaning with his chin onto his hand.

"Perhaps someone can sing," Dori suggested.

"We're all decent singers," Bofur replied.

"We've never heard Allie sing before," Nori pointed out.

Most of them eyed Allie now, who gulped at the attention. "I-It's best that I don't. Singing isn't exactly for me," she made clear.

"Are you sure, lass?" Gloin asked.

"Very sure," Allie said. "I think it's best to leave that to others."

The dwarves changed their attention to each other and Allie was gladdened by it. They chose a somewhat cheerful song which they would sing together to lift their spirit in this chill place.

While the dwarves sang Allie leaned closer to Bilbo. Because they were sitting a bit away from the company they were able to talk with each other without the others intervening.

"You're thinking about Smaug, aren't you?" Allie figured. He hadn't said as much as a word ever since they had left Lake-Town and she was growing worried.

Bilbo turned his head to meet her gaze. "What gave it away?"

"You're withdrawn," Allie said. "Barely talking to anyone, and you seem very lost in your own thoughts. I simply assumed that you're concerned about what we'll face inside the mountain."

"Aren't you worried about that?"

"Of course, I am. If Smaug would live that would benefit no one," Allie clarified. "I don't like the thought of us having to go inside the mountain to face Smaug either, should he live."

"Me neither," Bilbo responded. "Luckily we still have the ring that should give us some advantage."

That was indeed some reassurance. "We'll get through this, Bilbo," Allie said encouragingly. "You're a very fine burglar after all."

Bilbo chuckled softly. "And you are very good in lifting my spirit." He placed a loving kiss between her brows which made Allie's toes curl. She was grinning at such a simple display of affection. As she looked back she saw that the entire company had witnessed it. Not paying any attention to it Allie enfolded her arm round Bilbo's middle as she listened to the dwarves telling a story from the Blue Mountains.

* * *

When the set out at first light the next morning they all got into the saddles of the ponies that the Master of Lake-Town had provided them with. This form of transport was faster than having to go on foot. They even had some ponies with them that were laden with supplies and food. Snow was already blanketing the ground and the days were growing shorter and the nights longer.

Allie was riding near the back with Balin and Bilbo while the others were some way ahead picking out a slow road which they could take, for there were no paths here. Thorin guided them north-west, away from the river and drawing nearer to the great spur of the Mountain which was flung out southwards towards them.

It was an exhausting journey and a quiet one as well. There was barely any sound of talking, laughter or song. The hope and pride which had stirred everyone's hearts back at Lake-Town was fading away with the constant gloominess surrounding them. It was known to everyone that they were reaching the end of their journey and that the ending of it might be a horrible one.

Around noon when the company was resting and eating enough to stay warm Thorin called Bilbo apart. The two men walked a bit away from the others so that they could talk in private. Bilbo was nervously fidgeting with fingers as he waited for the dwarf to start talking. He had a vague idea where this would be about.

They stood with their backs to everyone else and had a good view of the peak of the Mountain that was visible in the distance.

"There is a reason why I asked you to come here," Thorin began, his voice low. Bilbo gazed up at him in curiosity. "I've come to acknowledge that there is something going on between you and Allie. Now I wanted to ask you what your intentions are towards my daughter?"

Bilbo blinked a few times at that question. He had already expected that Thorin one day would come and talk to him about Allie and that the dwarf wouldn't be pleased with him, especially not if he knew what had happened a couple of nights ago between them. He knew that Allie had told him not to worry about her father, but he couldn't help but feel restless about it. Allie Fairchild was Thorin Oakenshield's most valuable thing in his life and Bilbo was coming between them. He could understand it completely if the dwarf resented him for it. Despite it all Bilbo also felt a little courageous. He wanted to tell Thorin about how much Allie means to him.

"Ever since I met Allie I've been enchanted by her," Bilbo said cautiously. "She's been fascinating me ever since and I know that I like being around her and -"

"Do you love her?" Thorin cut him off. He gazed at Bilbo with those ice blue eyes which were so similar to those of Allie.

Bilbo swallowed loudly. "I do love her," he answered truthfully. It felt incredibly good to be honest about his feelings about Allie. He was even smiling as he talked about it. Allie had that effect on him. "I've known that for quite some time now and she has returned my affections back when we were in Mirkwood."

Thorin was silent for a moment. "And what do you hope will happen between the two of you?"

"That's for Allie to decide what she wants and she told me that she wants to be with me. All that I want is for her to be happy for that is most important. If she'll tell me to leave her alone, I will," Bilbo said honestly. He would leave without a moment's hesitation if that as what she wanted.

"Have you ever been in love with another woman before?" Thorin wanted to know.

Bilbo took a deep breath. This was beginning to feel like a questioning. "No. I have had a few crushes on two women when I was some years younger, but they didn't make me happy. Allie does. Whenever I'm with her I can only laugh. Even talking with her about the silliest things is something I enjoy doing. I also like just hearing her prattle enthusiastically about things that she's passionate about. I know that I haven't known her for that long and that it has only been about six months, but I do hope to spend a lot more time with her at my side. I know that Allie doesn't need someone who has to take care of her, but I want to try it."

Thorin even seemed to have a small smile on his lips at Bilbo's words. "I can clearly tell that you truly do love my Allie," he said, sounding relieved. "I had always hoped that Allie would one day find someone who would put her happiness first. Did she ever tell you about her and Nyad?" Bilbo slowly nodded. "That broke her and I feared for a long time that she never would find someone who would love her as much as she deserves. Then you came along and that was the first time that I saw her smiling that much and she seemed incredibly fond of you from the start of this journey. I've asked her several times about it and she always told me that she simply cared about you as a friend. We all could see this developing into something more and when I last spoke to Allie about you she was the happiest that I've ever seen her and that was how I wanted to see her for the rest of her life. I'm glad she chose you, Bilbo, for I think that you can make her that happy."

Bilbo was simply amazed by Thorin's honesty and his kind words. He had never thought that the dwarf would speak so fondly of him, and would even accept his relationship with Allie that easily.

"I do hope to not disappoint her," Bilbo quietly said.

"You won't," Thorin encouraged. "There's just one thing. You are aware that Allie is the heir to the throne of Erebor and that she will one day be its Queen?"

Bilbo's eyes widened at that news. He hadn't known about that at all. "Allie never told me about this," he admitted. "I know that she's a princess and all, but I had no idea that she will become Queen in the future."

"I figured that she wouldn't tell you," Thorin responded. "I've always known that she's not too fond of the thought of becoming Queen. I might have pressured her too much in the past. There were even some times that I've tried to arrange a betrothal between her and another noble dwarf, but as soon as she found out she snapped and lashed at me. She even refused to talk to me for months, letting me know that she's not some pawn to be played with. Allie sure is someone different. I always had some hopes that she would wed a dwarven noble one day, for the sake of our people. Seeing her with you now so happy I know that I was foolish for asking that of her."

Bilbo appreciated that Thorin was coming clean to him. He had never heard the dwarf talk so honestly about his life. "And it doesn't matter to you that I'm not a dwarf, nor a noble for that matter?"

"I would be the biggest hypocrite in Middle-Earth if I said that it did bother me," Thorin responded, shrugging slightly. "For I married a common hobbit woman myself, but she was worth it. She was the finest woman I've ever met and Allie is just like her." Thorin then astound Bilbo by pulling him into an embrace. "I do not need to warn you that if you ever hurt Allie that there is a long line of angry dwarves who will deal with you."

Bilbo let out a nervous shaky laugh. "I have no intention of hurting her, but I think Allie can handle me herself."

Thorin laughed, breaking the embrace. "Oh, she sure can. This...this was a good talk, Bilbo," the normally stubborn dwarf said.

Together they looked over to where the rest of the company was gathered and saw how Allie was chatting with Ori and Bofur, and how she smiled about something they said in return.

~~0~~0~~0~~

The afternoon went on and the further they went the bleaker and barren everything became. Allie had her horse nudged next to her father, who was mostly staring ahead in silence. She knew that he had talked with Bilbo about something earlier this day for she had seen them, but she had no idea what it was about. Neither Thorin or Bilbo had told her anything.

"This place used to be green and fair once," Thorin told them grimly. He did remember the days of old all those long years ago. There was little grass, and before long there were neither bush or trees. There were only broken and blackened stumps which were nearly vanished.

"We're reaching the Desolation of Smaug," Balin informed. He too had been there to see this place being destroyed by the flames of Smaug. There was nothing left as far as the eyes could see. The flames of the dragon had consumed it all.

"Let's hope this dragon hasn't destroyed anything else," Gloin grumbled and everyone wholeheartedly agreed with the dwarf.


	36. Scouting for the dragon and the hidden d

**Chapter 36: Scouting for the dragon and the hidden door**

Within two days they reached the skirts of the Mountain without meeting any danger or signs of Smaug, besides that he had made the wilderness around them his lair. Allie occasionally kept looking over her shoulder to make sure that none of the orcs were following them either, but she hadn't seen them in a while which was some relief.

Because they had reached their destination the gloom settled over them. Because no one knew what would be awaiting them inside the Mountain, for that could be the most dangerous part about this all. This fear was strong in all of them and they were mostly silent.

That night they made camp on the western side of a southern spur. Allie was gazing at the height of it. "Ravenhill," Balin told her. "That's what they call this place. It used to be an old watch-post." Allie wasn't sure what it was about this place, but it gave her the creeps. It had nothing to do with the cold.

"We best scout the south, where the front gate is," Thorin said to them. "Bilbo, Allie, Balin, Fili and Kili, will you take a look?" No one declined him and off they went.

They marched under the grey and silent cliffs to the feet of Ravenhill. There was the river, its current as swift and noisily as ever as it turned from the Mountain on its road to the lake. The banks were bare and rocky, and tall and steep above the stream. In the distant amongst many boulders they saw in the wide valley shadowed by the mountain, the grey ruins of ancient houses, walls and towers.

"This is all that remains of Dale," Balin said. "Back in the days of old the mountain's side were green with woods and the valley was rich and pleasant, and the people happy." His mood darkened at the memory. Allie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile. She couldn't imagine how painful it must be to see a place from your past being so destroyed.

No one dared to follow the river further towards the gate, so they went on beyond the end of the southern spur. From here they found hidden behind a rock they were able to look out and see the dark cavernous opening in a cliff-wall between the arms of the Mountain. They saw the water of the river springing out of it, and with it came steam and smoke.

Everyone froze at the sight of it. There was nothing that moved beside for the water and the vapor. Every once in a while there was a black and huge crow. There was barely any sound except that of that of the water, and a harsh croak of a bird. This place caused a chill to run down their spines.

"We should return," Kili suggested, not liking to stay out here any longer.

"Good idea," Balin agreed with a shudder. "This place is foul. Besides these dark birds over there, they look like spies of evil."

"It looks like the dragon is still alive in the halls under the Mountain from the smoke we saw," Bilbo said softly. Allie stayed quiet but she thought the same thing. It was the only explanation about why smoke came from the mountain.

"That does not prove anything," Balin responded. "Though I shall not doubt you are right. We don't know if he's still there. For all we know he has been gone for quite some time. I'd imagine that smoke and steam would still come out of the gates."

Balin's words sure didn't lift anyone's spirits and they made their way back towards the camp, no one saying a word. Allie was shivering slightly in her coat, wrapping it tighter around herself. They were at the end of their journey and no one had much spirit left.

As they had made it back Balin went to inform the others what they had found. "We saw the ruins of Dale and Ravenhill. And as we went further we saw black smoke coming from inside the mountain."

To confirm what they suspected the ground shook, and the mountain rumbled. Allie immediately reached out to take hold of Bilbo's arm, who had his arms round her waist to pull her close against him. As quickly as the shaking had started it faded again, but they knew they hadn't imagined it.

"What on earth was that?" Nori questioned.

"It felt like an earthquake," Dori added.

"That was no earthquake," Balin confirmed grimly. He looked fearful. "That could only be a dragon."

"So, Smaug lives," Fili gasped in horror.

* * *

Because they now knew for certain that the dragon was still alive somewhere inside the Mountain, they had to find the hidden door if they wanted to enter the Mountain without Smaug noticing them. Bilbo and Allie also knew that this meant that they would have to go inside together after all, just like they had feared all this time.

They continued the search to the hidden door, but weren't lucky. Even the next day they went on. They had split in groups so that they could cross more distance and search around the entire base of the mountain.

Around noon they all sat together again to eat something. Because their supplies of food were running short Allie and Kili had gone to hunt, and had returned with a deer Kili had shot. While Bofur and Bombur were cooking Allie felt Ori gently tugging her arm and she looked down at the dwarf.

"I made you another drawing," he said as he handed her a piece of paper. Allie curiously observed the drawing and saw that this was one of her and Thorin. It had been made back in Lake-Town while they had been talking with each other at the table in the guest house. It was a simple drawing, but Ori had managed to draw her and Thorin so real that it made her rather speechless.

"It's beautiful," she said in complete awe.

"I thought you'd like it," Ori responded with a bright smile.

"Thank you for making this, Ori." Allie pulled him into a brief embrace. "This means the world to me. I'll always cherish it." She pulled out the journal he had given her and put this drawing with the others. She knew that once this journey would be really over that she would look back at these drawings and would remember everything that had happened.

After that short moment Allie turned to Bilbo. For the last few hours he had been studying the map from Thorin, and the moon-runes that lord Elrond had deciphered. She could see the deep frown on his face as he desperately tried to find something that would lead him to the hidden-door.

"If you keep frowning that way your face will stay like that," Allie teased.

Bilbo tilted his head, making a face at her. "Very funny, Allie."

Allie smiled at him. "You should pause for a moment," she suggested. "It's best to try again later with a clear head." Bilbo pondered about that, but lowered the map and the moon-runes and placed them next to him. Allie was sitting opposite from him, their shoulders almost touching. They were sitting a bit away from the others. "What did my father want to talk with you about yesterday? It looked like something serious."

"He wanted to talk about you," Bilbo said, taking her soft, small hands in his. Allie stared deeply into his eyes. "He simply wanted to know about my intentions towards you and I told him the truth. He said that he was glad that it was me and that you're happy with me." He gently kissed the palm of her hand. He would talk about the fact that she was going to be Queen another time, for they weren't alone.

"You do make me happy," Allie affirmed fondly. "My father told me the same thing the day that I let him know about us. He finds my happiness important."

"So do I, Allie," Bilbo responded truthfully. "It's all that matters to me. The thought of you getting hurt breaks me and I want to do whatever I can to prevent that from ever happening again. I want you happy and looked after."

Allie was a bit blown away by the honesty in his words. He wanted nothing but the best of her and would always put her happiness first. It made her think about spending the rest of her life with him. It didn't matter if that would be in Erebor or back at the Shire. What was most important was that Bilbo would be there at her side, if he wanted to be there.

"Look at those turtle-doves!" Fili called with a laugh.

"We've got to go!" Kili added.

Allie blushed, but paid little attention to it. She leaned forwards to press a kiss against his cheek before she helped Bilbo onto his feet. Both of them were smiling as they rejoined the company.

They had moved their camp to a long valley, narrower than the great dale in the South where the gates of the river stood. Thorin had sent some of the dwarves to scout the western side, but they reported that there were fewer signs of the dragon's exploring feet. Each day they went in searching for paths up the mountain-side. Sadly enough they came back to their camp without success.

"What do you think we should search today?" Thorin asked Bilbo who was once again studying the map.

The Halfling shook his head. "I keep thinking that this hand on the map must be pointing to somewhere above the cliff at the valley's head."

"But we've searched there already," Allie responded, crossing her arms. She was secretly pleased that Thorin was coming to Bilbo for counseling, which showed how much their friendship had developed. "Several times without finding anything."

"Perhaps we could search higher this time?" Bilbo suggested.

Thorin seemed to agree. "We could try." He then went to bark out orders for who would accompany him and Allie watched with a fond smile as Bilbo followed him and Fili and Kili back to the western slope.

~~0~~0~~

The next day Allie had gone out with Fili, Kili and Bilbo to the valley. From the entire company the four of them had the keenest eyes and everyone believed that they would be able to see something. They scrambled among the fallen rocks.

For nearly an hour they went on and it was around midday, Bilbo saw something creeping behind a large stone that stood huge alone like a pillar. He gestured Allie to come closer so that she could see what he saw. They had come across what looked like enormous rough steps going upwards into the Mountain. The steps had been well hidden, so it was no wonder they had missed it before.

They followed these excited and found traces of a narrow track, which disappeared in some places, that wandered on the top of the southern ridge and leaded them at last to a still narrower ledge, which swirled north across the face of the Mountain. From where they stood they looked down and saw that they had made it to the top of the cliff at the valley's head, and they could see their encampment bellow.

Allie clung onto the rocky wall, but because she was slightly unbalanced from the unsteady ground, Bilbo had his hands on her shoulders. The four of them went gently across the ledge until the wall opened in a sort of bay. It would've been impossible for them to have seen the entrance from below, because the overhang of the cliff covered it. Nor would it be visible to spot this from a distance for it looked nothing more like a simple crack. Still they knew they had found it.

They returned to the others to inform them about what they had found. Immediately Thorin instructed them to move up camp, to make it closer to the door. Because it was already getting darker they didn't dare to go back to the door again. Because of their discovery their spirits had lifted somewhat.

The next morning they set out again. Bilbo and Kili were walking in the front for they remembered the way the best. Because the way through the valley was unsteady they couldn't go as fast as they pleased. The higher they went up the Mountain the wind blew stronger.

Allie remembered the way from the previous day and when they went across the ledge she knew they were close. It had taken them a couple of hours until the ledge became less narrow, leading them to into the kind of bay, which existed of a grassy floor. Allie sighed because the ground was more steady here.

The dwarves set up another camp this time. While their supplies were being unpacked some of the other dwarves were out looking for something. This definitely was the place where the hand on the map had been pointing to, but there was no sign of a door anywhere.

"Are you sure the door is here?" Thorin asked skeptically.

"It seems this is the right place according to the map," Bilbo answered. "We checked the smooth walls, but there is no keyhole to be found."

For the remainder of the day the dwarves tried to summon the door by speaking to it in Khuzdul, Elvish and in the Common Tongue but nothing happened. Around nightfall they gave up and settled down for the night after a quick dinner.

It was Allie and Bilbo that were unable to sleep so they quietly went back to the wall without waking up the others. They sat on a nearby boulder, searching for anything out of the ordinary that could indicate where the door was.

They heard a sharp crack behind them. In union they turned their heads. On a grey stone in the grass there was an enormous thrush, which was nearly coal black, and had a pale yellow breast with freckled dark spots. _Crack!_ In its beak it had a snail that it was using to knock it on the stone. _Crack!_

Bilbo was the first to get to his feet when he understood. Allie followed a few seconds later as he went to wake the dwarves and explained to them what they had just witnessed. The dwarves came as quickly as they could so that they could see it with their own eyes.

Pieces of rock had fallen onto the grass. A gleam of light came straight through the opening into the grotto, and touched the smooth rock-wall. The thrush who was watching from high up let out a sudden trill as a flake of rock split from the wall and fell. Suddenly a hole had appeared. Some of the dwarves went to push the rock in vain.

"The key!" Bilbo cried. "You have to use the key!"

Thorin stepped forwards and drew the key on its chain from around its neck. Carefully he put it into the hole and it fit. He slowly turned it and they heard a loud snap, which made the gleam disappear. Everyone held their breaths as they all pushed together until a part of the rock wall gave away.

There were long cracks that appeared and widened. A door from about five feet high, swung inwards. They all peered inside and what they saw was a deep darkness, that seemed to be going on forever. They had found the way in!


	37. Inside information

**Chapter 37: Inside information**

As Allie stared into the darkness of the mountain she swallowed loudly. Ever since they had left the Shire she had known that there would be a day in which she would have to enter the mountain and face Smaug, if the dragon was still alive. Because they had heard the dragon, they knew that he was inside there somewhere possibly waiting for someone. She had been dreading this moment for a long time.

"Is there no other way?" Bilbo asked quietly. He too was just as uncomfortable as Allie was. They both knew what this meant.

"I am afraid not," Thorin responded with a quirked brow. "From everyone in this company the two of you stand the most chance of not being detected by Smaug. We dwarves would never make it out there alive, but there is every chance that the two of you can."

That still didn't reassure Allie at all. She had never encountered a dragon before, but she knew well enough what they could do and that wasn't a pleasant thought. If Smaug would be able to detect them he would roast them without a moment's hesitation. Their weapons would stand no chance against such a mighty beast.

"I suggest that we eat dinner first," Bombur intervened.

"We cannot delay this much longer," Thorin countered, crossing his arms. "We have to know what this dragon is up to if we want to take the mountain back from him."

"I am sorry that it has to be the two of you," Balin chimed in. "But the dragon doesn't know your scent and that is something that we have to use to our advantage. You can sneak in there unnoticed."

Allie exhaled deeply. "Alright then. We'll do this." Bilbo immediately turned his head to meet her gaze, his eyes widened slightly at her words. "They are right, Bilbo. I am afraid that we are the only ones who can do this. It will be alright." At least that what she hoped, but she tried not to show it to him.

Bilbo took a moment to consider what she said and then slowly nodded. "I signed the contract as the company's burglar after all," he replied. "I guess this is where I have to prove my worth."

Thorin took a step closer to Allie, placing a kiss against her forehead. "Stay together and keep on that ring no matter what happens," he warned them. "I will see you shortly."

"Thank you," Allie said with a small smile as she stepped away from him and turned to Bilbo. She gave the Halfling a nod and grabbed his hand. Bilbo picked the ring from his pocket and put it on, making both of them disappear in front of the dwarves who gasped loudly.

They descended and Allie saw how the dwarves remained on the outside, trying to keep themselves together. Bilbo and Allie silently walked through the tunnel, making sure that they would trip over anything in the dark. Such a sound would surely let Smaug know that he wasn't alone in the mountain and they had to prevent that from happening. The passage that they went through was made for dwarves and smooth-floured. It was excellent craftsmanship.

"Are you scared, Allie?" Bilbo asked with a hushed voice.

"I am," Allie replied honestly. "Aren't you?"

"Absolutely terrified," Bilbo confirmed. He gently squeezed into her hand. "Still I am glad that you are here with me, even though I don't like the thought of you being so close to danger."

"Don't worry too much, Bilbo," Allie tried to comfort him. "I know that Smaug can easily kill us, should he find us. I believe that we can make it out of here alive. You should keep faith." Even in the darkness of this tunnel she was able to see him smiling.

The further they went down the tunnel the warmer the air grew and more humid. Within minutes beads of sweat were forming on their foreheads. It was becoming more than obvious that the dragon was down there somewhere and they were getting close to his den.

As they kept going they heard it, a sort of gurgling noise of some sort of huge animal that was snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of them. At this Bilbo stopped dead in his tracks, causing Allie to crash into his back. She too stopped and exchanged another fearful look with Bilbo as they listened to the sound.

Allie wondered what she had gotten herself into. She had never dared to imagine to that she would one day be this close to a dragon, but yet here she was. From the sounds of its snoring she knew that Smaug was near and she felt a pit of anxiety grew inside her stomach, becoming fearful.

"We can do this," Allie whispered positively. Bilbo seemed to appreciate her reassuring words. He took another deep breath as they stepped forwards again, continuing their way.

They were nearing the end of the tunnel. Allie wiped the sweat from her brow as she and Bilbo craned their heads through the doorway. From where they stood they were able to see gold and jewels as far as the eye could see. The enormous hall didn't seem to end in any direction. What they saw in the middle of the gold took their breaths away and left them speechless.

Smaug was lying fast asleep on top of the gold. A thrumming noise came from his jaws and wisps of smoke from his nostrils, but his fires were low in slumber. Beneath the dragon, under all his limbs and his huge coiled tail, lay more jewels, gems and gold. Dragons were incredibly fond of treasure after all.

Allie was amazed by the size of the dragon, which make her feel like nothing. Smaug would be able to kill her by simply standing on top of her, crushing her like a bug. There would be nothing that she could do to fight against such an enormous opponent and she prayed to the Valar that they would remain undetected.

As she slightly turned her head she saw that Bilbo was in a similar state. He too seemed blown away by the sight of the dragon, not believing that this wasn't a part of his imagination but reality.

Silently they crept from the shadows of the doorway to the treasure mouth. Allie made sure that they wouldn't get too close to the dragon and would accidentally wake him. She anxiously held her breath as Bilbo carefully grabbed a goblet from the treasury, but he did it without making any noise. Allie then picked up a golden bracelet herself, stuffing it inside her pocket.

They never removed their gaze from Smaug as they hurried out of the chamber and back into the tunnel. Allie felt her heart beating frantically inside her chest as they practically started to run back. She simply couldn't believe that this had actually happened and she knew that the amount of adrenaline in her blood was high at the moment.

Together they had made it back to the company within the matter of minutes. Allie still felt her heart beating loudly because she had just stood face to face with a live dragon and she wasn't completely convinced yet that this had been the truth.

"What of Smaug?" Thorin asked as Bilbo took off the Ring and let go off Allie's hand.

"The dragon sleeps," Allie answered, crossing her arms.

Bilbo handed Thorin the cup that he had taken. "There are mountains of treasures inside."

Allie gazed at the father and for the faintest of a second she saw a strange gleam in his eyes, one that she had never seen before. Allie bit her lip as she looked away, hoping that she had just imagined it and that it was merely the moonlight in his eyes.

"I have to admit that I was rather worried that the two of you wouldn't return," Kili then said as he took a step closer towards his cousin and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But it brings me relief to know that you're alright."

Allie flashed him a small smile. "We couldn't have done it without Bilbo," she replied honestly. "He truly is that stealthy burglar that Gandalf claimed that he was."

The entire company was now looking at Bilbo who was becoming a tad uncomfortable from all the attention. He scratched the back of his head. "I—I wouldn't say that," he stammered in disagreement.

"Don't be so humble, Bilbo," Allie said fondly. "You deserve some credit for all that you've done. I for one know that I am grateful for it." She got closer to him and tugged an auburn curl of his hair behind his pointed ear. "You truly are a fine burglar, Bilbo Baggins." With that she softly pressed her lips against his, silencing Bilbo so that he couldn't reply. Instead of shoving her away he tenderly savored the kiss. Allie loved the feeling of his lips on hers and didn't want to break away.

Their moment came to an end when someone cleared his throat behind them. Caught in the act they abruptly broke apart, both their cheeks flushed as they saw that the whole company had just witnessed this intimate moment between them. Allie had simply forgotten that they had been there.

Thorin seemed to show little emotions about the situation as if it hadn't bothered him at all. In fact he seemed to have a small smile lingering on his lips, but he remained quiet about the matter. The rest of the company on the other hand, didn't.

"Youngsters in love," Oin grumbled.

"Clearly my cousin isn't so innocent anymore," Fili added.

"Unbelievable," Kili supplied.

Allie simply snickered quietly. "Oi, don't need to be sour about it."

"Don't mind them, lass," Balin said with a wink.

After that the dwarves settled around the fire to prepare dinner. Allie was about to join them so that she could aid them, but Bilbo grabbed hold of her wrist and gently pulled her back to him against his chest this time. Allie was a bit amazed by this sudden action and blushed slightly because of it.

"Are you alright?" Bilbo asked her, kissing the back of her hand.

Allie smiled up at him. "Yes, why shouldn't I be?"

He returned the smile. "I just meant with the dwarves teasing and –"

"Bilbo, that doesn't bother me at all," Allie gently cut him off. She leaned a bit forward until their noses were touching. She was able to feel his hot breath against her skin. "They mean nothing of it and its innocent teasing. Besides if that means I've got you in the end then it's all fine."

His hand rested on the small of her back while Allie's arms went around his neck. "Are you sure about that, Allie?" Bilbo asked hesitantly.

Slowly, Allie nodded. "Very sure. Aren't you?"

His smile enlarged. "You are worth all the teasing, Allie Fairchild." To let her know that he meant what he said he gently brought their mouths together. Allie closed her eyes and returned it, taking Bilbo's bottom lip into her slightly parted mouth for a moment, running her tongue along it gently. This time they were aware that they weren't alone and that the company might be watching their moment, so Bilbo did his best not to get carried away. It was incredibly hard when his tongues lazily swirled together with Allie's, but he carefully pulled his head back and met her confused gaze. "It's not appropriate," he said with a whisper, gesturing to the dwarves.

Allie saw what he meant and chuckled. "Hmm, yes. We don't want them to see all that." She adjusted the collar of his coat as she did so. She really wished that they were able to continue this privately without the curious eyes of the company, but they wouldn't be alone for a while. She placed a final peck on his lips.

Bilbo continued to gaze into Allie's warm eyes until a loud rumbling shook the mountain beneath their feet. One of the dwarves let out a shriek. Smaug had woken up.

The entire company sprang to their feet. They anxiously listened in silence to find out what was happening. Every single one of them froze when dragon-footsteps echoed across the passage. After a few seconds the sound grew fainter, letting them know that the dragon was going the other way.

"He's coming here!" Dwalin said in utter shock.

Within a couple of seconds Smaug emerged from the front gate and took a flight. The mountain shook in return as the dragon breathed a flame or orange and yellow at the mountain top. Allie steadied Bilbo so that he wouldn't fall over from the commotion.

"We have to get inside! Now!" Thorin yelled, grabbing hold of Allie's wrist and pushing her ahead of him into the tunnel. He waited until everyone had safely made it inside. They descended deeper into the tunnel, feeling the air becoming more humid as they went. Behind them they were able to see the faint colors of flames chasing them. It was Thorin who pushed Allie aside and shielded his daughter from the flames that went past them.

For a few moments nothing happened. The entire company was completely silent as they tried to catch their breaths and listened to any sounds of the dragon.

"Are you all alright?" Allie asked them when she realized that Smaug must've moved on. Because it was pitch black inside the tunnel she wasn't able to see everyone, but she assumed that they were all here.

"Yes, we are, lass," Bofur replied fearful. "We're missing Bombur and Bifur. My poor cousins are in the valley. They will be slain."

Allie swallowed a lump away from her throat. She knew that Bofur was right. Two dwarves stood no change against an enormous dragon. They would be roasted on the spot, but she didn't dare to tell him. For now they had plenty of things to worry about. They were stuck inside the mountain and Smaug could return any time.


	38. Conversations with a dragon

**Chapter 38: Conversations with a dragon**

Allie felt herself growing more restless the longer that they spent in the tunnel. It was almost as if they had returned to Mirkwood since they weren't able to see anything at all. Thorin had given them the sign to sit down and get some rest because they couldn't keep moving. They had to know whether or not Smaug had returned after all. All they could do was waiting for the dragon.

"You have to sleep, Allie," she heard Bilbo say quietly. Allie turned her head towards the sound of his voice. The Halfling was sitting beside her and she assumed that he was frowning. The rest of the company had already fallen asleep. "I can almost hear you worrying and it's keeping me awake as well."

"Sorry, but I cannot help it. What if Smaug has found Bombur and Bifur? It's something that I don't want to think about, but they have such a small chance of surviving such an encounter with a dragon! It's worrisome. I simply cannot stop thinking about it," Allie ranted in return.

She felt how Bilbo softly circled his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. His hands were running through the fiery curls of her hair. "It's perfectly understandable to worry about that, Allie. It's on my mind as well. Still it doesn't solve anything if you remain awake here. You need your sleep," he comforted her.

Allie allowed herself to ease down in his warm embrace, burying her head into his shoulder. Her heart was fluttering because of the reassurance that he was providing her. "Shouldn't you sleep as well?" she asked in return.

"Only if you will," Bilbo replied. "It's going to be fine." He kissed the top of her head and Allie felt drowsiness settling in as he continued to stroke her hair. She was immensely grateful that he was here with her and she didn't want to think about what would've happened if he had stayed behind in the Shire instead of being here with her. As Allie was on the verge of drifting away she quietly heard Bilbo mutter. "Sleep, my Queen."

* * *

Allie grumbled in her sleep when she felt someone tenderly stroking her cheeks. This person traced a pattern there and went past her temples, her nose and her lips. Her eyes fluttered open and she was able to see Bilbo staring down at her, a lovesick grin on his face. "What are you doing?" Allie asked quietly.

"I want you to come with me," he said without any explanation. With her brows furrowed Allie grabbed his hand as Bilbo helped her onto her feet. He leaded her through the tunnel, making sure that they wouldn't stand on any sleeping dwarves.

For someone who had never been inside this mountain before Bilbo guided her away from the company, up a few steps and into a smaller tunnel which took them further away. Allie didn't ask any questions. He had taken her to a separate outskirt of the mountain. The sky was painted in a mix of pink and orange. They set down on the ledge as they looked down at the scenery.

From where they were sitting they were able to see the remaining buildings of Dale and Lake-Town in the distance. Allie was searching the sky for any sign of Smaug, but she wasn't able to spot him anywhere. It almost seemed as if the dragon had never gone outside at all, for everything had remained the same as the previous day.

"Do you know if Smaug has returned?" Allie asked Bilbo.

The Halfling bit his lip. "I cannot tell if he did. I know your father well enough that he will sent us back down there to look for Smaug," he replied hesitantly and took a deep breath. "I do hope that he's not down there."

"So do I. I don't look forward to going down there again," she said.

Bilbo took her soft hands in his and played with her slender fingers. "Neither, do I. I would appreciate it if you would stay here with the dwarves and –"

Allie scoffed. "For Aule's sake! I will not let you face Smaug on your own! Don't be daft, Bilbo."

"It's not safe down there, Allie. He could hurt you or even worse," he reasoned with her.

"I don't care," Allie snapped. "You are not going alone. We are going to do this together."

Bilbo paused for a moment, realizing that Allie had made up her mind about aiding him. "You're actually serious," he muttered. Allie only nodded. "Then we will go face Smaug together." He didn't like the sound of Allie going to see the dragon at all. He wanted nothing more than to keep her safe and she had to stay with the dwarves for that, but she wouldn't listen to his warning. "What will happen if Smaug is dead?"

Allie looked down at their joined hands for a second before gazing back into his eyes. "Then the dwarves from the Blue Mountains will come here and my father will officially be the King of his people," she clarified.

"And you will be their Queen one day?" Bilbo guessed. He saw her eyes widening for a brief second and her lips parting. "Your father told me all about it. Why didn't you ever mention this to me? I thought you could tell me anything."

"Because I never want to be Queen, Bilbo," Allie retorted with tears in her eyes. "That is not who I am. My father will be a great King who our people will love. He is born for this. I am not."

Bilbo gave her a reassuring smile. "Allie, I can totally understand that it will be fearful. I am convinced that the dwarves will love you as well. You would be a wonderful leader and they will listen to you. Still no matter what happens I want you to know that you're my Queen. And I wouldn't change that for the world, no matter what you choose." This was the first time that they had talked about their future together and what might happen after all of this was over.

Allie had no time to say anything more because Bilbo already had his lips on hers. Tenderly she returned the kiss, and she felt Bilbo sighing into it. Allie's hands were a warm weight on his back. He didn't even seem to notice that her lips were slightly chapped from the cold. After a couple of minutes Allie pulled back and couldn't stop the brilliant smile that curled over her lips and Bilbo grinned back at her in return.

"Am I really your Queen?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

Bilbo placed a quick peck against the corner of her mouth. "Yes, you are the Queen of my heart. I will follow you no matter what you choose," he promised.

Allie felt her heart swell in delight at the honesty of his words. "I don't know what I'd without you. I want to focus on the future together, but we have to face a dragon first. I need you back in one piece." She kissed his temple, hoping that this wouldn't be their final private moment together.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, _Gemez_?" Thorin asked doubtfully as he eyed his daughter who was about to go down the tunnel again with Bilbo at her side.

Allie looked up at him. "I have to do this, Khagam. There is no other way of knowing that Smaug is still alive. We will be alright," she tried to reassure him. The frown between his brows told her that he wasn't convinced at all. She kissed his cheek. "We will see each other again. Hold onto that."

She flashed a final smile at the rest of the dwarves and grabbed Bilbo's hand as they headed down the mountain together. With every step that they took Allie felt the pit of anxiety grow inside her stomach, but she paid no attention to it. This wasn't the moment to fearful. She had to be strong.

Bilbo seemed to notice her discomfort and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The two of them kept walking, their feet barely making any sounds on the stone ground. It didn't take long until they heard the sound of snoring growing louder.

They had reached the doorway of the chamber. Smaug was indeed sleeping on top of the gold. For a few minutes they stood still until they were convinced that the dragon was really sleeping. They quietly crept across the room. Both of them froze on the spot when they caught a sudden thin and piercing ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to be asleep!

That meant that Smaug was aware of their presence and was watching the tunnel entrance. There was no way that they could sneak out of here unnoticed. They were trapped in this room with a dragon. At this moment their only relieve was that Bilbo was wearing his Ring.

"Well, thief! I smell you and feel your air. I can even hear your breath. Very curious indeed," said the dragon with a deep baritone voice. It caused a chill to set into Allie's skin. She had never imagined that a dragon's voice could sound like this. "Come this way!" Both of his eyes were open and he was looking in the direction where they were standing. "There is enough treasure."

Allie was stunned and wasn't sure how to reply. Thankfully Bilbo found his voice. "No, I won't," he responded. It was for the best that Smaug didn't know that there were two people inside here. "I didn't come for presents. I merely wished to look at you and see for myself if you truly are as magnificent as the tales say. For I did not believe them, you see."

"And do you now?" asked the dragon. He didn't sound very convinced.

"Yes," Bilbo supplied. "All songs and tales fall utterly short to your magnificence, O Smaug, the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities."

Allie was completely amazed by how Bilbo was addressing the dragon and hoped that Smaug would buy his flattery. It would be for the best if they didn't anger him any further because he would be able to roast them without any effort.

"For a thief and a liar, you surely have nice manners," Smaug said. He let out a soft growl, exposing his gigantic teeth in the process. Allie bit her lip to prevent herself from making a noise. "You seem awfully familiar with my name, but your scent is not known to me. As is that of your companion. Who are you?"

Allie exchanged a fearful look with Bilbo. They had tried to make her presence unknown, but it seemed that Smaug was no fool. Bilbo tried to go along with their plan anyway. "I come from under the hill, and under hills and over hills my paths have led. And through the air, I am he who walks unseen. That's all that I'm telling you."

Smaug let out a deep laugh which caused the cave to rumble. Allie had to steady herself by grabbing Bilbo's shoulder with her other hand so she wouldn't fall over. "I doubt that is true," the dragon said. "If you are to steal my treasures you better tell me your names."

Allie took a deep breath. "Our names are not of any importance," she exclaimed. "We are nobody worth remembering."

"I dare to disagree with that," Smaug responded with a huff. "I wasn't aware that you were a female. I knew your scent was different. I am able to smell the scent of dwarf on you, though it is not as strong as that of the mountain-dwellers."

"Then you are mistaken." Allie tried to control her voice and not to let him hear any fear. He couldn't find out who she was. If the truth about her heritage would be revealed they'd be in great trouble. "There are no dwarves in these mountains. They have fled long ago. Their scent must still linger here."

"I know what I smell," Smaug snapped back. "You'd better stay away from dwarves, Miss. Nothing good ever comes to those who associates themselves with dwarves."

"Says the dragon that killed nearly all of them," Allie muttered in return.

The dragon tilted his head, bearing his fangs a little. "I suppose that you received a fair price for that bracelet and goblet you stole the previous day," he said. "I am convinced that the dwarves are waiting outside, letting the two of you do all of their dirty work for them. Still I doubt that you will make it out of here alive at all."

Bilbo squeezed Allie's hand as he gently moved her to another place in the room so that Smaug didn't know where they were.

"I can follow your scent anywhere," Smaug pointed out. "So it shouldn't matter if you move or not. I know where you are. Do enlighten me about how you intend to steal all of this treasure?" Allie noted that the dragon almost sounded amused. He must've been bored stuck inside this mountain for a hundred years.

"That shouldn't matter," Bilbo responded hastily.

The dragon snorted. "That almost sounds as if you have no plan." And he wasn't wrong. They didn't have a plan in the slightest. They were unprepared.


	39. Revenge

**Chapter 39: Revenge**

"Are you alright, Thorin?" Dwalin asked concerned when he saw that their leader had been pacing restlessly in a line for nearly twenty minutes. Everyone in their company was able to see that frown between his brows.

Thorin tilted his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we all know that you're worrying about Allie," Dwalin clarified. "Which is totally understandable. She is your daughter after all."

Thorin's eyes darkened as he paused. "I can't lose her, Dwalin. She's all that I have left." His voice was low as he spoke.

"You won't lose her, Thorin. Allie is someone who has fought herself out of every situation she has ever been in. I know that she will make her way back to you. Smaug will not hurt her."

"She and Bilbo stand no chance against a dragon, Dwalin."

Dwalin placed a reassuring hand on Thorin's shoulder. "I know that their chances are slim. Still Bilbo has his magical Ring and they can remain unseen which gives them some advantage. I believe they will return."

At that moment they felt the mountain rumbling which caused Thorin's eyes to widen and he immediately continued to pace further down the line. It was almost as if he hadn't heard Dwalin's comforting words at all. It would be pointless to try and change his mind.

Dwalin sighed as he watched his life-long friend and prayed to Aule that Allie and Bilbo would return soon.

* * *

Allie held tighter onto Bilbo's hand as the two of them stared at the dragon who still sat atop of this pile of gold. Allie was able to feel her heart beating frantically inside her chest. "Tell me why you're here then," Smaug wanted to know.

"We aren't here for the gold," Bilbo answered, trying to make his voice sound steady.

Smaug wasn't convinced in the slightest. "Then what is that you seek?"

"We want revenge," Allie blurted out. She saw Bilbo looking at her with big eyes, shocked by her words. "Revenge for all the blood that you've spilled."

The dragon let out a deep laugh. "Revenge? You sure are a funny one, Female. I like you for it. I almost regret that I have to kill both of you, liars and thieves."

As the dragon moved on top of the gold Bilbo gently nudged Allie and gestured towards Smaug. She saw that on the dragon's underside, his left chest, there was a hollow gap as huge as a snail. The story of Gillion, Lord of Dale, hitting the dragon had been true all along. The dragon had a weak spot…

"I believe that it's better that we go," Allie then said. "I thank you for taking the time to talk with us."

She and Bilbo had already turned around and were hurrying back to the tunnel. As they went around the corner they felt the temperature rising as Smaug had sent flames after them. It was more than obvious that he knew where they were without being able to see them, and it didn't hinder him in the slightest. "Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!" Bilbo shouted to himself.

They heard the dragon roar behind them, but they didn't stop to face him. Instead they kept running further and further up the tunnel. It didn't take long until Smaug grew quiet and they didn't hear him anymore. He had given up his chase!

They were running so swiftly that it only took a matter of minutes until they reached the place where the rest of the company was still waiting for them. Bilbo took off his ring and let go off Allie's hand. At their arrival Thorin immediately jumped onto his feet, pulling his daughter against his chest. His strong arms wrapped around her tightly and he almost crushed her with his strong embrace.

"Mahal, Allie," he almost cursed. "You had me worried there. How are you?"

Allie felt some relieve at being in her father's arms. "I am fine. Smaug on the other hand seems to want revenge," she replied, trying to catch her breath.

After this brief reunion they walked out to the ledge in the sunlight and they saw a thrush flying. The small bird dropped a snail on a rock before flying away again.

"I've heard that the people of Dale used a thrush as a messenger bird," Balin informed them as they all stood there together. Even Bombur and Bifur had managed to return to the company and had survived their ordeal with Smaug. Allie was glad that the entire company was still intact.

"Let's hope they do," Bilbo said. "Who knows what Smaug will do now that he is awake."

As soon as he had finished they heard the sound of large wings flapping intently nearby.

"Back inside!" Thorin shouted.

They'd barely made it back inside the tunnel together until Smaug hit the side of the mountain with a lot of force, causing large rocks to tumble down. The entrance was blocked by boulders and Allie felt how Bilbo shielded her from more rocks so she wouldn't get hit.

Even without being able to see where the dragon was going they knew that he would go to Lake-Town. Bard had foretold that this would happen after all. The prophecy was coming true and those poor people stood no chance against a dragon.

* * *

Allie couldn't help but feel restless. It had only been a few hours ago since Smaug flew away and hit half of the mountain, which was the reason they were stuck inside the mountain. The entrance was still blocked and there was no way for them to open it. For hours they had sat here in complete darkness.

They couldn't count the passing of the time and they were all scarcely dared to move. The whispers of their voices echoed through the tunnels, which was why they all tried to make as little noise as possible. They only ate a little and spoke whenever necessary. It was obvious that none of them felt comfortable in this situation for they had no idea if Smaug had actually returned to the mountain.

They had no idea how long they were waiting and Allie felt herself growing more fearful. She couldn't help but thing about the people of Lake Town and hoped with all her heart that Smaug wasn't attacking. If Smaug had his wish then the entirety of Lake Town would be burned to the ground, just like he had done to Dale all those years ago. The dragon had no respect for other lives, which was exactly why he was so dangerous.

Allie wasn't sure if she was keeping some of the dwarves awake with her worrying and she slowly got onto her feet, and gently removed Bilbo's arm from her waist. It didn't wake him up and she cautiously made her away out of the tunnel everyone was lying in. Without making any sound she went around the corner so that she could be alone with her own thoughts.

There was barely any light in the tunnel except a ray of moonlight that shone through the crevice in the wall. It was impossible to see anything through because it was that small. She had no idea what was going on at the other side, and there was no way that she could figure that out. There were no hidden doors or exits on this side of the mountain. They had to find the main exits of Erebor if they ever wanted to see daylight again.

A soft breeze blew through the crack which was a nice refreshing feeling after being stuck inside this tunnel, that felt incredibly humid and dry. A part of was even considering breaking the crack open further so that she could go outside, but she stood no chance of accomplishing that by herself. They were truly stuck inside for now.

"Are you alright, Gemez?" A voice asked her.

Allie knew who it was and turned her head, even though she couldn't really see him. He was only illuminated a little from the light that shone inside. "I wish that we could help the people of Lake-Town," she admitted honestly. "I fear that they're all dead and that Smaug has gotten his revenge."

"You don't know that, Allie."

"And that is exactly why I'm worried. It is our fault that Smaug went to Lake-Town in the first place. And we're all stuck in here. There is nothing we can do to prevent those innocent people from suffering and being burned alive. It's poor torture."

"Allie, calm down," Thorin tried to reason with her. "We have no knowing if Smaug has actually gone to Lake Town in the first place. For all we know he's just out hunting somewhere and has already returned." It still didn't reassure her in the slightest. She did feel guilty for causing this and not being able to do something about it. "We should focus on getting a move on when everyone's awake anyway. We still have to find the Arkenstone. It was the reason why we came here in the first place."

 _The Arkenstone._ Allie had kind of forgotten about the existence of the jewel, mainly because she didn't think of it as that important. It was merely a jewel. Allie only wanted everyone to be safe and to restore her father onto his rightful throne.

"I don't know if the search for the Arkenstone should be our first priority, "Allie pointed out indifferently. "We should find a way out of this place instead. Perhaps we are able to provide the people of Lake Town with any help."

"No, Allie," Thorin firmly replied which made her frown. "The Arkenstone is our birthright. The seven dwarf armies swore an oath to the one who wields the King's jewel! It is the only thing that will unite them, which is why we have to find the Arkenstone. We have no other choice, Allie."

Allie was unsure how to react to that. She knew that the Arkenstone has always been valued as the most important item inside this mountain, even by her great-grandfather. Of course they had to find it if they wanted to restore Erebor to its former glory. Still Allie had figured that there were more important things and that the Arkenstone would be found with good time. She didn't know how this was going to help the people of Lake-Town.

His reaction had alarmed her. Allie was familiar with the sickness that lay inside this mountain. Several dwarves had fallen to the dragonsickness and there were even a few of those in her bloodline. From all that she was that her great-grandfather Thror was the last one to succumb to it. Allie could only be fearful that her father wouldn't suffer the same fate now that they had returned to the mountain.

"I'm not going to lose you to dragonsickness, Khagam," Allie said as a vow to herself. "You must promise me that you are going to try and do whatever is in your powers to fight it."

Clearly Thorin was a bit stunned by that. "Alie, what are you -"

"Promise me!" There was a crack in his voice that was barely hearable.

In the dim light in the tunnel she could see him looking at her and she heard him swallow. "I promise, Allie." He didn't give her any time to reply to his answer because he was already walking back to the others.

Allie closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she thought about what had just occurred. She could only hope that her father meant what he had said. The dragonsickness was a sickness that changed even the most honorable of men. Allie prayed to Aule that Thorin Oakenshield wouldn't be a victim of dragonsickness and she had to believe that.

No matter what happened Allie couldn't lose her father. Throughout her entire life Allie had wanted nothing more than to see her father restored on the throne of Erebor. That was the main reason why she had desperately wanted to go on this quest to Erebor. She had been waiting her whole life for this and they were so close to succeeding their goal. That was why she couldn't lose Thorin.

"I have to believe," she whispered to herself. "We're so close now. I cannot lose him too. I will not lose him."

Allie hoped that wasn't as frightened as to not believe her own words.


	40. Exploring Erebor

**Chapter 40: Exploring Erebor**

They had lost track of time inside of the mountain. It felt like days had gone by and they had done nothing more than waiting. The Company reached the point where they could no longer bear it. They were all pretty desperate for a touch of fresh air. The reason why they had sat there so long was because they still had no idea whether Smaug had returned or not. They couldn't sit there forever.

Some of the dwarves had tried the hidden door once more and this time even with their weapon. Still the door refused to give in, because Smaug had completely destroyed it when he hit it.

"We have no other choice but to go deeper into Erebor," Allie said. She wanted to move and to do something. She couldn't bear it to remain here for a while longer. They had to get a move on.

"But what about Smaug?" Fili asked hesitantly.

"We don't know if he's back or not," Kili added grimly.

"We stand no chance against such a dragon," Bombur complained. "He'll roast us alive."

"We move forwards," Thorin firmly replied. "We sent Allie and our burglar to the front because they have the advantage."

Obviously no one was expecting that at all. Allie could feel how most of the company members were gazing at her in the dark. "Fine," Allie said after a moment. "Me and Bilbo will walk at the front."

That was how she and Bilbo had ended up at the front of the Company. They were practically walking on the tip of their toes as they guided everyone deeper into the mountain. Even from only walking inside Erebor, Allie was already amazed with the size and the structure of this place that was going to be her home. She couldn't wait to explore the halls and architecture of this vast place. This was after all where home of her family, the line of Durin.

The dwarves were not as stealthy as Allie and Bilbo and they made noise with their heavy boots and were puffing as they tried to keep up with them. Allie and Bilbo listened for sounds that came from the below near the bottom, but they couldn't hear anything. Even though it was black inside the tunnel Allie looked at to where Bilbo stood for a mere moment as he grabbed the Ring out of the pocket of his waistcoat. Allie grabbed his other hand as he did the Ring on and they went ahead.

As they walked they realized that they didn't really need the Ring. They were covered in complete darkness and they were all invisible. Smaug would never be able to see them. Still it made them feel somewhat reassured. Allie and Bilbo pushed onwards and reached the opening unexpectedly. Bilbo put his hand on air and stumbled forwards and headlong into the hall. In the process he had let go of Allie's hand which had exposed her.

"Bilbo!" Allie called out quietly and tried to reach for him in the never ending darkness. He took off his Ring and grabbed her wrist to let her know where he was. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, it's just my pride, Allie," Bilbo replied.

Neither of them dared to move or to get up. Even their breathing made little noises. There was nothing that moved inside the hall. There was no gleam of light anywhere that indicated that there was something else here. Allie could merely scrunch her nose at the scent of dragon that was heavy inside the hall. She could pretty much taste it on her tongue. Still there was no spark of dragon-fire.

Eventually Bilbo got enough of it. "Come out, Smaug! You useless worm!" He said out loud. "It's time to stop playing hide-and-seek! Show us that you're here! Give us a light and then you can eat us if you can catch us."

Allie wasn't sure if Bilbo's move was a clever one. They waited and listened for something, but there was no answer. Allie then helped Bilbo up by his shoulders. "Where do you think Smaug went?" She asked.

"It seems like he's not at home," Bilbo said. "It would be wise to make some light inside this place so that we can have a look around."

The dwarves had been somewhat alarmed since Bilbo had stumbled into the hall. They had been sitting there at the end of the tunnel where they had left them. Oin and Gloin were sent back to fetch their bundles from the top of the runnel. It didn't take long until they returned and they gave the torch to Bilbo. Because he was officially the Company's burglar he was the one in charge of lightening this place.

Allie didn't like it for one second. She had her hand on the hilt of her dagger as she watched how the little dark shape of Bilbo moved across the floor, holding the torch. Bilbo was climbing the great mount of treasure. Even when he was on the top he kept going. Eventually they saw him stop for a moment. Allie grew confused when she saw the shape of Bilbo leaning forwards and grabbing something from the pile of treasure. Allie wondered what Bilbo had picked up, but the Halfling was already moving further.

He went down the other side of the large mount he had climbed. The spark of his torch vanished from the sight of the watching Company. Soon they were able to see it far away in the distance again which meant that Bilbo was crossing the floor of the hall. They watched him for a moment until they saw the torch drop and going out.

From where they stood they heard Bilbo's small cries and the only word that they heard as 'help'. Allie was the first one who walked into the direction that she had seen Bilbo go with the dwarves right behind her.

"What on earth has happened?" Thorin asked. "It cannot be the dragon, or he would not be squeaking." Thorin eventually ordered for more torches. "It seems that our burglar is in need of help."

"It's about time that we go and help him," Balin said joyfully. "It seems that it's safe for the moment."

Gloin lit several more torches which he handed to the others. One by wall they went along the wall as quickly as they possibly could. It wasn't long before Bilbo came back towards them. In the light Allie could see the glint in Bilbo's eyes and she was more than relieved that he was alright.

Some of the dwarves caught sight of the vast amount of gold and jewels that lay wherever they looked. It was enough to awake the strong dwarvish hearts they possessed. It made them grow bolder and more fierce. They were even eager to explore the halls now that there was no sign of Smaug everywhere.

Allie watched how the dwarves searched among the treasures. She saw how her cousins found two golden harps were strung with silver. It moved her when she heard how the large hill was filled with a melody after it had been silent for so many years. Some of other dwarves were more practical and gathered gems which they stuffed inside their pockets. As Allie turned her head to her father she could see him searching the side of the treasure mount for something he couldn't find. She knew that it had to be the Arkenstone, even though he didn't mention it.

The dwarves continued with examining the treasures for a while and eventually grew tired of it. Allie realized that she had zero interest for the golden goblet and gems that lay scattered everywhere. She couldn't bring herself to care about it either. "We should keep going," Allie finally said. "We don't know if Smaug will come back. We shouldn't push our luck too far."

"Right you are of course, Gemez," Thorin agreed. She felt how he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I will guide you further. You will be amazed when you get to see the beauty that Erebor has to offer. I've been wanting to show you this ever since you were born. Not in a thousand years will I forget the ways of this place. It was once my home." He hailed for the dwarves and together they passed through the doors, holding their torches above their heads.

All the old adornments of Erebor were long destroyed or moldered by Smaug. Thorin knew every passage and turn. He made them climb long stairs and turns that went down wide echoing ways. There didn't seem to be coming an end to all the stairs and Allie heard some of the dwarves complaining about it behind her.

They went on for an unknown while. Allie stared upwards and realized that she couldn't see above the light of their torches. There was a slight chance in the air which wasn't so foul here, and didn't smell that much like dragon. They went through great doors and Allie could detect the dwarven runes that were carved into them.

"What is this, Khagam?" Allie asked in amazement.

"This is the great chamber of your great-grandfather," Thorin said. She could see the fond expression on his face and she knew that her father was rather emotional that he was standing inside these halls again after so many long years. He had grown up here after all. "The hall of feasting and of council. The front gate is not too far from here."

As Allie looked at it she could imagine this hall during his former glory. She could picture her great-grandfather Thor and her grandfather Thrain wandering through this room with a young princeling that was just in the prime of his life. None of them had any idea of the evil of Smaug that could ruin this happiness at any moment.

They went through the ruined chamber. The tables in here were rotting and all the chairs and benches were overturned. There were skulls and bones that were scattered upon the floor amongst the bowls and flagons. Allie felt her throat gone dry at the sight of the remains. These were the last of her people after all. They had died here in the flames of Smaug.

Balin placed a reassuring hand on Allie's shoulder when he noticed her distress. Clearly he was in a similar state because she could see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. The Company went through more doors and as they reached the farthest end they were able to hear the sound of water. The grey light grew more full as well.

"This is the birth of the Running River," Thorin said. "It will guide us to the Gate. We have to follow it!"

From a dark opening in a wall of rock there issued boiling water. It flowed swirlingly in a narrow channel, which was carved and made straight and deep by the cunning of ancient dwarven hands. Besides the water ran a stone-paved which was wide enough for the whole Company. They were welcomed by the broad light of day. They stood in front of a tall arch, which showed the fragments of the old carven work within. Beams of gold fell on the pavement of at the threshold.

Since they were still carrying torched they had woken up a slumber of bats. The water was making lots f noise now as it fell outwards and foamed down towards the valley. The Company dropped their torches to the ground and they all stared in pure amazement around them. They had made it to the Front Gate and were able to see Dale in the distance.

"I never thought we would be looking out of this door," Bilbo said. "I am truly pleased to see the sun again and to feel the wind on my face. But it's so cold! The others could only agree. It was that time of the year after all. They had spent days trapped in darkness. "It seems to be late morning. It's breakfast-time, if there is any breakfast to have. I still don't think that this is the safest place to have breakfast."

"You're quite right," Balin agreed. "We should get a move on and make it for the old look-out post at the Southwest corner of the Mountain. First we shall have a little break because we've been walking for hours."

No one could disagree with that. As the Company went to sit down somewhere to get some well-deserved rest, Bilbo grabbed Allie's hand. She gave him a puzzled look as she followed him away from the others. Bilbo guided her further towards the stream. He eventually made her sit down on a boulder on a nearby ledge away from the Company. Bilbo sat next to her and held her hands as he played with her fingers in his lap.

"Allie," he began. "Are you alright?"

Her ice blue eyes met his and she licked her lips. "I think I'm just a bit confused," she admitted. "It's absolutely amazing to see Erebor with my own eyes. It's something that I've been dreaming of my whole life. Still I can't help but feel somewhat fearful as well."

"Why are you scared, Allie? Is it because of Smaug?"

She shrugged slightly. "Not quite. Have you ever heard about dragonsickness?" Bilbo shook his head. Allie told him in great detail about the sickness that ran in her bloodline and that rested inside this mountain because of its wealth. "I fear for my father, Bilbo. It feels like I'm losing him."

Bilbo moved around a bit so that he could kiss her forehead. "You don't know if you're losing him, Allie. I can understand your concern. Still we haven't been in Erebor for too long. You won't have to go through all this on your own. I will help you every step of the way. It's going to be alright."

Allie was grateful that she wasn't have to go through this on her own and that she had Bilbo to help her out. It did give her to the courage that she needed to keep going. "I thank Aule every day for gifting you to me," she said cheerfully.

Bilbo had a blissful expression on his face. She felt his hot breath against her skin as he grabbed something out of the pocket of his waistcoat. Allie assumed that it would be the ring, but frowned slightly when it was something else.

"An acorn," she said quietly, not understanding why Bilbo was holding that in the palm of his hand.

"I picked it up in Beorn's garden," he told her. "I had hoped to plant it in Bag End when I finally return to the Shire. Then I'll be able to remember everything that happened here. All the beautiful and ugly memories. And also how luckily I am that I made it home."

Allie wasn't sure why Bilbo talking about returning to the Shire once everything was over was making her heart ache. She knew that she would be staying in Erebor because she had traveled half across Middle-Earth to get here and this was where her kin came from. This was going to be her home. Allie had hoped that her new home as going to involve Bilbo as well, but the clearly wanted to return to the Shire. She couldn't blame him for that at all. That didn't mean that this wasn't hurting her.

"It's a sweet gesture, Bilbo," Allie said, trying to mask her true emotions. "I'm sure all the hobbit in the Shire won't see you as respectable anymore when you return."

He chuckled. "That's not relevant to me at all, Allie. I don't regret leaving my door at all. I know I did at first, but a lot has changed since then. Even I have changed for the better. And it also gave me you." With that he brought their mouths together and kissed Allie's doubts away.


	41. Time for a breather

**Chapter 41: Time for a breather**

"How far is the Southwest corner of the Mountain?" Bilbo asked when they set out again after their break.

"I think it will take us about five hours," Balin answered. "It will be challenging to get there because the road from the River seems all broken up. Still there is a path down there that leaded leads over a bridge and then towards Ravenhill. We should head this way."

Bilbo clearly didn't like the sound of mine. "More walking and climbing without any breakfast! I wonder how many breakfasts and other meals we've missed inside this nasty hole."

It had only been two nights since they had been stuck inside the mountain. For Bilbo it simply felt much longer than that. He was a hobbit after all and he still wasn't used to the lack of food he got throughout this journey.

Thorin laughed. "Don't call my home a nasty hole!" He said in higher spirits. "You will change your mind when you see this place cleaned and redecorated.

"Smaug has to be destroyed first," Allie muttered as she crossed her arms. "Where is that dragon anyway?"

The thought of the dragon possibly looking down at us caused some unease among the dwarves so they set out again. The path they took leaded them among the stones on the left the side of the river. Allie noticed the effect that the desolation was having on her father as he sobered, so she reached out to place a comforting hand on Thorin's shoulder and he gave her a small smile.

For several hours the Company kept walking over the path that Balin leaded them on. It was clear that the dwarf remembered the road from when he had been a younger dwarfling. They went up ancient steps and climb the high banks until they reached the old road. They wandered through a deep dell which was sheltered among the rocks.

Eventually they reached the top of the of the ridge. and saw the wintry sun going downwards in the West. They found a flate place without a wall on three sides, but backed to the North by a rocky face in which there was an opening like a door. From that door there was a wide view East and South and West.

"In the old days we used to keep watchmen," Balin said. "That door leads into a chamber that was hewn by rocks which we use as a guardroom. Several places like this can be find throughout the mountain. In those days we didn't need much for watching."

"We can go no further today," Thorin said to them. "We rest here for tonight."

Bilbo seemed to be most relieved by that answer and flung himself onto the floor. The Company set down for the night in a rock-chamber near the ledge. While they were preparing for the evening Allie turned around and went through another door which leaded her away from the others.

Ever since she had arrived in Erebor she had been more than eager to explore this massive place as best as she could. She wasn't that exhausted yet which is why she decided to wander through this place by herself so that she no one would disturb her.

With eager feet she went deeper inside the mountain and up a few steps. She found herself stepping inside some of the large chambers. Immediately she knew that these were the bed rooms that belonged to the royal family. As Alie observed the room she noticed the clothing that lay in the closet which were obviously for a female. It must've belonged to one of her aunts.

There was dust everywhere in the room since no one had been in here for a hundred years. Allie grabbed hold of the sheet that lay on the bed and flung it a few times in the air which caused the dust to fly everywhere, before putting it back on the bed.

An idea came to mind and Allie left the room and made her way back to where the others were. When she got there most of them were already sitting down having some dinner, even Bilbo.

"Bilbo, come with me," Allie said with a large smile on her face. Bilbo looked up from his stew to meet her gaze and saw a certain glint in them. Instead of waiting for him to answer she grabbed his hand pulled him along with her. She knew that the dwarves had just witnessed the two of them running away, but she couldn't care about that. They probably presumed that they were in need of some naughty time.

Allie leaded him to where she had just came from and Bilbo didn't complain as they went up some stairs, even though he had been complaining about having to walk the whole day. Allie guided him through the large black door which she closed behind him as they stepped into the room.

Bilbo curiously looked around the room and the architecture. This place was truly breathtaking with the statues of a female dwarf in the corner. "Who does this room belong to?" Bilbo asked.

"I'm not sure," Allie answered. "I think it belonged to one of my aunts many years ago." She looked at the statue. "It must be her. I should ask my father about it."

Bilbo looked Allie in her eyes, drinking in those blue depths. "Why did you bring me here, Allie?"

Allie took a step closer towards him and gently played with the curls of his auburn hair. "Because I wanted to be alone with you without any dwarves," she clarified softly. "Was that so wrong?"

Bilbo placed a loving kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Not at all, Allie Fairchild. That is exactly what I wanted as well." By grabbing her hand he gently pulled her with him into the bed which was large enough for the both of them. The mattress felt surprisingly pleasant after having to sleep on the floor for days.

They lay face to face on their sides. Allie was softly tracing patterns on his cheek and Bilbo was smiling adoringly at her. It was such a simple thing but this meant the world to both of them. They clearly had been longing to spent time together like this for quite some time. It still struck Bilbo how beautiful Allie Fairchild truly was. He was kissing the freckles around her nose in an endearing way.

Allie leaned closer against him and her body was pretty much pressed against his. Bilbo's lips were on hers and he kissed her slowly, but with such an urgency. It was still enough to cause Allie's head to spin. His tongue licked along her lower lip and she eagerly opened her mouth to him, causing her to moan. Allie was somewhat writhing in his arms which caused her wet heat to touch his groin.

"Allie," Bilbo breathed.

"Bilbo, I need you," Allie panted. She was undoing the buttons of his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against hers.

Bilbo could only supply to her plea. He pushed off his shirt. "Take of your clothes then."

Allie laughed against his lips at his request and managed to pull off the tunic that she was wearing in a sift movement and her breeches quickly followed. It left her completely exposed in front of him. "Fast enough, Bilbo?"

Bilbo joined her laughter and latched onto her breasts. "You're a wonder, Allie." Her hands then palmed his clothed erection, which made Bilbo groan. "And a tease."

Allie threw her head back to giggle as she pulled down his breeches. "Get to it then, Bilbo. I'm impatient." It didn't take long until Bilbo slid into her slowly. He waited for a moment until Allie was adjusted to him being inside of her. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him to do something. "Bilbo, move!"

Allie cried out in pleasure as Bilbo began to move inside of her. It had been a while for both of them so they were both desperately rutting against each other. Bilbo's thrusts were hard and Allie was most definitely content with it. She loved nothing more than being united with the man that she loved so much. Bilbo was breathing heavily in her ear as Allie gripped onto his back, enjoying the feel of his muscles rippling beneath her fingers.

It wasn't long until she felt Bilbo spilling deep inside of her. Allie followed him over the edge not long after that. "We have to do this better next time, Allie," Bilbo said with a chuckle as he pulled out of her and held Allie in his arms.

She was kissing his forehead. "I guess we were both too desperate for it, Bilbo." She placed a kiss on his nose.

"Allie, what does 'I love you' mean in Khuzdul?" Bilbo asked her then.

Allie leaned back so that she could look him in the eyes. She couldn't help but smile at the sincerity of his question. " _Amrâlimê_."

Bilbo had a blissful expression on his face. " _Amrâlimê,_ my Queen _."_ He brought their mouths together again and Allie sighed into it, pulling him even closer against her. "I mean it when I say it, Allie. I'd move the stars in the sky for you. I'm falling even more in love with you every single day. You're my entire world."

"Please never stop loving me, Bilbo."

"I could never," Bilbo assured her as if that was impossible. Allie trailed the curve of his lips with her finger. "Do you want me to tell you about my mother, Allie?" That made her smile and she nodded. "I already told her some things about her, but I'll tell you how young Belladonna Took met Bungo Baggins."

As Bilbo talked about his mother in great length and her childhood as one of the daughters of Old Took she hang onto his every word. She quickly realized how fascinated she was with the woman with her bold spirit. It was also the way that Bilbo talked about his mother with such admiration. It was clear that he had much respect for her.

"I think she would've liked you, Allie," Bilbo said somewhere halfway through his story.

Alie blinked. "Really?"

"Of course she would have," Bilbo responded. "She always told me that she wanted the best for me. Also that she had great hopes that I would one day find someone who would love me as much as she loved my father. And I found that person in you, Allie Fairchild."

His answer caused her heart to flutter and she kissed his bare chest. "I love you, Bilbo Baggins. Don't ever doubt that," she assured him. "Please, tell me more about your mother because I'm curious about her. She is immensely fascinating."

Bilbo chuckled as she played with his soft chest hair and there was something very endearing about that. "I will tell you everything," he promised her.

And he told her everything that is to know about Belladonna Took and Allie continued to listen to him intently. She took in the musky scent of his skin as she noticed the smile that played on Bilbo's lips as be talked about his mother. He even spoke about Belladonna after Bungo had died until she died herself several years later, which resulted into Bilbo becoming the master of Bag End.

"Do you miss your parents?" Allie asked him once his story was over.

"I do sometimes," Bilbo admitted, intertwining his fingers with Allie's. "I was fortunate enough to spent the largest part of my life with my parents and that they both died of old age. I know some people are not so lucky."

Allie had a somewhat somber look in her eyes. "I'm still grateful that I got to know my mother, even if it was only briefly. That means that I got something to remember her by which means the world to me."

Bilbo kissed her cheek. "And you should cherish those memories for the rest of your life, Allie. Your mother was a wonderful woman and her memory lives on in you."

"You are sweet, Bilbo," she said thankfully. "At least my father has always been there for me. And the dwarves all been like close family to me. It's not that I was alone."

"And you never will be alone, Allie Fairchild," Bilbo said promising, tugging a curl of her red hair behind her ear. "Trust me when I tell you that."

"I believe you, Bilbo Baggins," Allie replied hopeful.

"Good," Bilbo said satisfied. "Now, let's get some sleep."

Allie placed her head into the crook of Bilbo's neck and fell asleep within a matter of minutes. Bilbo gazed at her sleeping form, stroking the soft skin of her arm. Bilbo realized in that moment that he wanted her to stay here with him, but for now he was just glad that Allie was here.


	42. Making promises for the future

**Chapter 42: Making promises for the future**

As Allie woke up the following morning Bilbo was nowhere to be found. She assumed that he had just left to make sure that the dwarves wouldn't speak of scandal. Allie's bare feet touched the cold marble floor as she approached the closet and rummaged through the clothes. There was a surprising amount of different dresses which were in the dwarven style.

Allie picked out a dark blue dress with long sleeves and a brown bodice on top of it, which resulted in a brown layered skirt was adorned with dwarven runes. Her hair she kept simply loose around her face, but not without removing all the knots first.

"You kind of look like a dwarf," a familiar voice said behind her. Allie turned her head to see Bilbo standing on the threshold carrying a bowl with food in his hand. He was looking at her as if she was shining brighter than the sun. "It's just that I've never seen you wear something like this, but it suits you. I've never seen another dwarven woman before and I assume that you look much fairer than them."

Allie smiled as she approached him so that she could kiss him for a moment or two. "You sure are a charmer, Bilbo Baggins. Thank you. Is this why you came here?"

Bilbo chuckled deeply. "Not exactly. I actually came here to bring you some breakfast. I had hoped you would still be asleep when I returned, but now that you're awake that's all good." He stayed with her as she ate her breakfast and put on her boots. "Are you sure those boots aren't going to give you trouble?"

"Bilbo, they don't have heels or anything," Allie pointed out, grinning. "They're quite comfortable."

"All shoes look uncomfortable to me," Bilbo said, making Allie laugh. He grabbed her hand as they walked out of the large room and headed back towards the others. It was only an hour after dawn and the whole Company was still where they had been the previous night. Some of them stared at Allie because of the dress that she was wearing.

"Whose chamber is the one near the swirling steps?" Allie asked them. Her gaze lingered to her father, but he was simply staring ahead at the sky.

"That room belonged to your great-aunt Marbh," Balin informed her. "She died when Smaug came to Erebor in the inferno. She stood no chance against the flames. Still, it's good that you found her chamber and are wearing her dress. I recall that she was rather fond of that one."

"Look over there," Bilbo said from beside her. "It's that old thrush again. Apparently he escaped when Smaug smashed the mountain-side."

The whole company watched how the thrush flew towards them and landed on a nearby stone. He then began to flutter with his wings and sing as he cocked his head from side to side. He repeated this a couple of times.

"It seems that he is trying to tell us something," Balin figured. "I have no knowledge about the speech of birds. It's too fast and difficult. Can you make it out, Bilbo?"

Allie saw Bilbo getting slightly uncomfortable at that. She knew well enough that he couldn't speak bird language, but it was funny to see him scratch the back of his head. "Not that great," Bilbo said instead. Allie had to bit her lip to not laugh. "Still this fellow seems very excited!"

"I only wish this was a raven," Balin responded with a huff. "There used to be a great friendship between the people of Thror and the ravens. They would often bring us secret information while we rewarded them with sparkling things. They lived for many years. When I was a little dwarfling I knew many among the ravens of the rocks. This very height where we're on was once named Ravenhill. There used to live a famous and wise pair here, old Care and his wife. They lived in the guard-chamber Still I don't suppose that they live here anymore these days."

With that the old thrush gave a weird whistle before he flew away. The Company had no other choice but to wait. It wasn't longer than a few minutes until they all heard the sound of wings fluttering. The thrush had returned and was accompanied by an aged raven of great size. The bird was getting blind, and wasn't that excellent at flying. He managed to land on the floor before them in a stiff way and slowly flapped his wings before bobbing his head towards Thorin.

"O Thorin son of Thrain, Allie daughter of Thorin, and Balin son of Fundin," the raven croaked. They were all able to understand what he said because he was speaking in the common tongue and not in bird-speech. "I am Roäc, son of Carc. Card is dead, but I know he was well known to you once. It's been a long time since I've hatched from my egg. I am the chief of the great raves of the Mountain. There are only a few of us left, but we still remember the King of old. Behold King! The birds are returning again to the Mountain and to Dale from the South, East and West. Word has gone out that Smaug is dead!"

 _Smaug is dead._ Allie froze somewhat as she received that information. This was news that they had hoped to hear for ages, but it almost sounded like a dream. Still it would explain why there was no sign of the dragon anywhere. He had truly perished.

"He's dead?" Oin asked for confirmation.

"We're no longer in fear anymore!" Fili replied cheerfully.

"The treasure inside Erebor is finally ours," Kili responded, slapping his brother on his back in a friendly manner.

"The dragon has been seen falling in battle in battle with the men of Esgaroth the third night back from now at the rising of the moon," Roäc informed them. "For now you are safe within your halls. Do be weary that the news of Smaug has already spread through Middle-Earth. People know about the legend of the wealth of Thror. Already a host of the elves is on its way, and they are hoping for battle and slaughter. The people of Lake-Town blame the dwarves for their sorrows since many are homeless or have died since Smaug has destroyed their town. They too are looking for amends from your treasure, and it doesn't matter whether you're alive or not."

Thorin took his time to thank the raven for bringing him this fruitful information. With that the old bird flapped with his wings and disappeared into the sky. "This gives us the perfect oppertunity to search for the Arkenstone," Thorin said to his Company. "We have to find it! We should begin in the lower halls. Come with me."

The dwarves were eager to follow. Clearly most of them were quite excited about exploring Erebor and searching through all the different treasures that were inside this mountain. Only Balin, Bilbo and Allie seemed somewhat reluctant. Eventually they followed them anyway.

Inside the lower hall Thorin was pretty much barking orders to the others to search better for the Arkenstone because it had to be found according to him. Allie could only watch her father with mixed expression. He had promised her that he was going to fight against this dragonsickness, but that seemed to hold little meaning right now. The vast wealth and treasure inside this mountain as clearly having an effect on her father and it troubled her dearly.

It was halfway through the day when Thorin gave Bilbo a mithril vest which he had found somewhere between all the treasure. Allie was dumbfounded that her father would give the second to most valuable item inside the mountain to a Halfling, but Thorin was insistent. He told Bilbo that it was a gift and that good friends are hard to come by. Perhaps he had also given the vest to Bilbo because Thorin assumed that they would become family one day. Allie wasn't so sure but she had rubbed a few tears away from her eyes after she had watched those endearing actions of her father. Perhaps there was still a small part of the real Thorin left.

For the largest part of the day they continued their search for the Arkenstone. They had even spread the search in different hall, but they were unsuccessful. As time dreaded on Allie could tell that her father's mood became grimmer. He was determined to do anything to find this jewel.

When the Company sat down for the night and had finished their dinner Bilbo took Allie with him to the chamber where they had spent the previous night. He simply needed some time alone with her, especially when she was looking so heartbroken. Bilbo wanted to do whatever he could to brighten up her mood somewhat.

The two of them sat on the enormous bed and Bilbo took her hands in his. "Bilbo, I'm so scared of what my father can do. He's not acting like himself at all. My father in his right mind wouldn't have sent his kin looking for a jewel like that," Allie said quietly. "The treasure inside this mountain is obviously having a devastating effect on him. He had promised me that he would fight it, but he's not doing that."

Bilbo paused for a moment as he thought about what he could possibly say. "What do you think would happen if the Arkenstone would never be found?" he asked her. "Do you think it would make it worse?"

Allie shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. I'd like to think that it would make it better for him if the Arkenstone wouldn't be found at all. This stone crowns everything. This is the reason why my father returned to Erebor in the first place."

"Allie, there is something that I have to show you," Bilbo began which made Allie look up at him, but he was averting her gaze. He was silent for a little while and cleared his throat as he went to grab something from the inside of his coat. Allie was completely amazed as she gazed at the white jewel in his hand. It was larger than she had anticipated but by the way that it was glittering in the dim light she knew which jewel this was.

"The Arkenstone," she said in complete bewilderment. "You have the Arkenstone!"

"Allie, don't hate me," Bilbo said with a placid voice when he noticed the dismay on her face. "I was able to find it a few days ago when we feared Smaug was still inside the Mountain. I took it as my fourteenth share of the treasure."

This was the jewel that had caused so many lived and where people were willing to fight wars over. "Are you planning to keep it?" she asked fearfully.

"No, I'm not. I have no desire for such a thing," Bilbo clarified humbly. "I simply took it before the others could. That was before I knew the effect that the Arkenstone would have on your father. I think it's best if we don't give it to Thorin for now. Not when he's acting like this. I never took the Arkenstone to cause any trouble, Allie. You must know that."

"To tell you the truth is that I'm actually relieved that you found it instead of my father," Allie admitted honestly. "I don't want to think about how he'll react if he ever gets his hands on this jewel. We should keep it hidden for now. Thank you for doing this, Bilbo. I seriously appreciate it." She leaned closer to press a kiss against his temple in gratitude.

"You know that I'd do anything for you, Allie."

"Bilbo, there is something that I've been meaning to ask you," Allie said which made him curious. "I uhm.. I don't know how to properly bring this into words, but I have to know. What are our plans for the future? What will happen between us once this is all over?"

Of course Bilbo had thought about this plenty of times before as well. He had been just as doubtful about this whole situation as Allie was. "I don't know for sure, Allie. You have traveled all this way to Erebor because this place is where you kin comes from. This is to be your home. That's what you always wanted."

"And are you saying that this place cannot be yours?" Allie asked hesitantly.

"I don't think that Erebor will be a home for me, Allie," Bilbo said slowly. "I want to spent my future with you. Still I'm a simple hobbit from the Shire and I kind of long to return home again. Aren't you destined to be Erebor its future Queen?"

"That is never want I wanted, Bilbo. My life wouldn't be complete without you near," Allie replied honestly. "I am willing to resign my right to the throne so that I can follow you to the Shire. Only if you'd have me."

Bilbo hadn't expected that proposal at all. He knew how badly Allie had wanted to come to Erebor because she had always believed that this was to be her home. And now she was willing to throw that all away for him. "Allie, are you sure?"

Allie cupped Bilbo's cheeks and addressed him the warmest smile that she could muster. "I mean it when I say that. I know that we would be happy together if you give us the chance. The thought of spending the rest of my life with you in the Shire already makes me happy. I want you to take me home when this is over, Bilbo," she told him. "Because home to me is wherever you are. I cannot spent my life separated from you. Please take me home." _And marry me._ The thought was in the back of her mind, but she didn't dare to say it.

Bilbo couldn't be happier than that he was at that moment. He had never thought that Allie was willing to follow him back to the Shire to spend her life with him. He almost couldn't believe that this was happening, but he most definitely wanted it to happen. He needed Allie in his life to be happy. "Hmm, I'm sure the Shire can get be quite boring when you're used to more action in your life."

Allie huffed. "I take that all for granted. I don't need that to be happy, I need you. What I want now is for you to make love to me and to take me home to Bag End, Bilbo Baggins." She was looking at him with those pleading blue eyes of hers.

 _And who was Bilbo to deny her that?_ This was the woman that he was going to spent the rest of his life with and he wanted to celebrate that with her. He was already kissing those luscious lips of hers that always drove him wild. Allie's clever fingers were undoing the laces of her dress which she threw somewhere on the ground near the door. As Bilbo felt her breast against him he growled softly.

"Mahal, I love you so much, you endearing Halfling," Allie said with such fondness in her voice and she meant every word. "I need you so badly, Bilbo." Every word she said went straight to Bilbo's groin.

Bilbo wanted to let Allie how much that he loved her tonight. Her fingers were running through his auburn hair as Bilbo's hands cupped her breasts, making her shudder against him. He latched onto her breast, licking and sucking against her nipple. Bilbo took his time to give them both well-deserved attention.

Allie was pretty much pliant against him and was completely against his mercy. She was licking in his collarbone as Bilbo gently made her lie down on the bed. "Take of your clothes first," Allie said quietly. "I need to feel you, Bilbo." She watched amusingly as Bilbo took off his coat and his shirt.

Bilbo was licking and kissing a trail down Allie's sides and abdomen. He even traced the fading white scar that she still had there, as a reminder of everything that she has lost. "You will never get hurt again, Allie Fairchild," he promised against her warm skin and she believed him. "I can never get enough of you, Allie."

"Yeah, I can feel your erection against my knee, Bilbo," Allie teased him with a smug grin on her face.

Bilbo laughed as he placed a kiss on her inner thigh. He noticed that Allie's folds were already wet from foreplay. Without any warning he pushed a finger inside of her.

He felt Allie slightly tugging in his hair, encouraging him to continue. " _Mahal_ , Bilbo!"

He set up a pace which almost pushed the breath of out her lungs. Bilbo added another finger as he licked and rubbed her clit with his other hand. Allie threw her head back against the pillow, and moaned every time Bilbo touched that nerve inside of her. Bilbo loved the feeling of making Allie feel good because from the sounds she was making he knew that he was doing a decent job.

The pace quickened and Allie's breathing grew heavier. It wasn't that long before he felt Allie's body shaking against him. Bilbo had ignited that special part inside of her that no one had ever touched before. Allie thought that she couldn't love him anymore than she already did. She yearned for him all the time.

As she was regaining her breath she observed the creamy skin of his chest and brought her hands to stroke the soft hairs underneath it. "You will be my undoing, Bilbo Baggins," she sighed happily as she kissed him lovingly, tasting herself on his tongue.

Bilbo laughed fruitily as he pulled her closer. "You weren't complaining about it."

"I most definitely wasn't," Allie confirmed contently. "Still I need more of you." Her hands were untying his breeches and grabbing his fully erected cock by the base. Bilbo groaned into her neck as he muttered something, causing Allie to chuckle. "Were you saying something, Bilbo?"

"You are such a tease, Allie Fairchild."

She only laughed louder. "And you love me for it." With that she began to stroke his cock with a steady pace and a firm grip. Bilbo closed his eyes as he focused on the feel of Allie's slender fingers around his cock. She surely had gotten quite skilled at this.

"I sure do." Bilbo let out a few raspy breaths. "Allie, I wanna do something else." He looked up to meet her curious gaze and saw how her icy pupils had darkened with lust. She knew what he wanted by simply observing him.

He gently put her back on the bed again and leaned over her. Allie let out a soft yelp as Bilbo entered her. She brought one of her hands into Bilbo's auburn curls while the other was between his shoulder blades. Bilbo needed a moment to adjust to being inside her wet heat, but when Allie gave him a nod in confirmation he started to move inside of her.

"Ah! Bilbo, you feel so good," Allie cried out in pleasure, feeling her toes curl.

Bilbo had wanted to let Allie know how much he loved her so he moved slowly. His lips found Allie's neck and he sucked a bruise there for everyone to see that she was his. There was something about the way that Allie was moaning underneath him and pushing him deeper into her that made Bilbo want to speed up, but he needed this to last.

Allie was kissing him desperately. Bilbo was soft and gentle with her which made the whole experience even more romantic. Allie believed that Bilbo wanted nothing more than to spend his entire life at her side and to make Bag End their home. It was what they both wanted. From the way that Bilbo was groaning in her ear she also knew how badly he loved her. He didn't need to say it out loud for her to know. She believed everything since their heartbeats had synchronized. They were one.

Neither of them wanted this moment to ever end. There is nothing better than getting to share such an intimate moment with your soulmate. Allie believed that this brought them even closer than before.

"Allie!" Bilbo said after a while, his voice nothing more than a low groan. He felt his spine tingling as he got closer.

"It's okay," Allie replied out of breath. "Come for me, Bilbo."

And he came deep within her, grunting in her ear as he did so. Allie was quick to follow him over the edge. She continued to kiss him, their tongues lazily twirling together. As Bilbo softened he slowly pulled out of her and lay on his back while he pulled Allie in his arms.

"That was..," she said with a large and blinding grin. "Wow. That was wow."

"You're absolutely right, Allie," Bilbo agreed with a chuckle, kissing her temple. "It has never been like this before." He had never thought that this could feel this great with Allie, but he was thanking his lucky stars for it. "Do you think that the dwarves know what we're doing every time we sneak away together?"

He felt Allie vibrating from laughter. "Of course they know that we don't just leave to get some sleep. I'm still kind of amazed that my father isn't making a fuzz about it. He told me that he knows what it feels like to be in love with a Halfling so perhaps that's why he's not mentioning anything."

"No matter what Thorin thinks I don't want to stop doing this with you, Allie."

"Hmm, that's some good thinking. Still you don't have to," Allie reassured him, content as she kissed his nose. "You've got me and I'm not going anywhere. I will follow you to whatever end."

He addressed her such a loving smile that it made Allie's heart jolt inside her chest. Even now it still overwhelmed her how much she loved Bilbo. Half a year ago she never would've anticipated that she would be so deeply in love with someone that she was willing to leave her kin behind and all that she knows to spent the rest of her remaining years with this person, but he was worth it.

"I am still somewhat amazed that your father actually gave me a mithril vest earlier today. He knows that I'm not a warrior and that I will not wear into a battle," Bilbo said, frowning slightly.

Allie gazed deeply into his beautiful blue eyes, a fond smile on her lips. "I don't think Thorin actually expects that you wear it during a battle. It is likely that you have to use it. Still you have to keep in mind that my father gave you this vest because he values you, as a friend and possibly as family in the future. Do you have any idea how valuable mithril actually is?"

Bilbo shook his head. "Not really."

"I figured as much," Allie said with a grin. "Let's just say that this vest alone is worth more than your beloved Bag End and all its belongings."

At that information Bilbo's face fell as he processed it and Allie chuckled. "You serious?"

"Yes, I am. You don't have to delve into the worth of dwarven treasure. The costs of mithril is insane really, but it is considered to be some of the most valuable things inside this mountain," Allie pointed out.

Bilbo huffed. "Stupid dwarves and their obsession with treasure," he responded. "I'd say that to Thorin you're definitely more valuable than all that treasure inside this mountain than he is letting you know lately. Still he will never value you as much as I do. I am certain of that."

"Bilbo, doesn't it bother you that I'll never be able to conceive?" Allie suddenly asked, stroking his bare chest. Secretly Allie had wanted nothing more than to be able to gift Bilbo with a child of his own, but knowing that she couldn't broke her.

"No, that doesn't bother me at all," Bilbo assured her, kissing her shoulder. I would never love you any less for something like that. I don't need a child to be happy with you. I just need you, Allie. That's more than enough for me because I love you and only you."

Her lips found his again and she felt his love for her pouring into her and Allie could only laugh in pure bliss. She had no idea what she had done to deserve someone so wonderful and amazing as Bilbo Baggins in her life, but she was more than thankful.

"I think," Allie began joyfully. "I think I'm ready again, Bilbo."

"You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that, Allie Fairchild," Bilbo said in pure bliss as he made her lie down on her back without removing his lips from hers. It was here that he made love to her again and they certainly weren't complaining.


	43. Disapproval

**Chapter 43: Disapproval**

The days after mostly began to blur into each other. Thorin had given the Company the order to labour hard in fortifying the main entrance and to remake the road that lead from it. They had managed to find tools that the miners and quarries had used many years ago and they still worked nicely.

As Allie observed her father from a distance she could notice the dark look in his eyes as he barked some orders to the other dwarves. It was certainly troubling to see her father behave like that and it was obvious that everyone had noticed the sharp change in Thorin's behavior. Allie could only hope that he would give up on his search for the Arkenstone and that his sickness would lose its grip on him, but that wasn't the case so far. The dwarf King was still immensely focused on retrieving the jewel.

Occasionally the ravens brought them news about what was happening outside the mountain. They had found out that Thranduil had turned towards the Lake. Allie had no idea what intention the elven King had to venture towards Erebor, but she was certain that they would find out his purpose sooner or later. He wouldn't be here without a reason.

More days had gone by. Allie had spent most of these days with aiding the Company with the search, despite knowing that the Arkenstone wouldn't be found. During the nights she and Bilbo would return to the chambers they had been spending much of their time in. None of the dwarves asked them about it, assuming that the couple needed some time for their own.

"Allie, lass?" Balin asked her one late morning. Allie looked up to meet the old dwarf's gaze and wiped her hands on her breeches. "Is everything alright? You've been awfully quiet."

Allie wet her lips. "I'm scared that I'll lose my father to dragonsickness, Balin. He hasn't been himself since we've arrived in Erebor. He's only been getting worse with every day that passes," she admitted fearfully.

Balin nodded sadly. "I'm afraid of the same thing, Allie. I've known your father for the largest part of my life and he's never acted this way before. He's doing whatever he can to retreive the Arkenstone. It's madness."

"Do you think that we should hide the Arkenstone from him?" Allie questioned doubtfully. "Honestly I don't think it will resolve anything."

"We don't know that," Balin said. "We can only hope the Arkenstone will remain lost. It can only make it wors if he obtains the jewel."

"You're right of course," she agreed, giving him a sad smile. "I just miss him."

"That is totally understandable, Allie." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You mustn't give up hope on him yet. There might be a chance that he snaps out of this."

"I can only hope that you're right, Balin."

The day slowly dreaded on like that. Most of the dwarves were still searched in the large halls for any sign of the Arkenstone. Thorin was always there with keep a close eye on everything with his dark eyebrows frowning. It was clear to everyone how important the finding of the jewel was to the dwarf.

"Someone must've taken the Arkenstone," Thorin said halfway through the afternoon. "That is the only reason why it's still not found! Someone is lying."

"Khagam, you're not being reasonable," Alie disagreed, crossing her arms. The two of them were standing in the doorway of the Great Hall of Thror while the Company was rummaging through the treasures. "Perhaps you should consider with canceling this search. There is a chance that the Arkenstone is lost and we will never be able to find it."

"Allie, what do you know about it?" Thorin snapped back. "You weren't here all those years ago to see Erebor in its former glory. There was so much wealth inside the mountain because of King Thror. And all the dwarves swore allegiance to him because he had the Arkenstone. This is why we have to find it."

"I'm sure that the dwarves will follow you without this cursed jewel anyway," Allie tried to reason with him. "You have to give up your search. This is absolute madness."

His eyes were so cold when they turned to her and they were filled with anger. "That will not happen."

"You are risking the lives of your the Company with this ridiculous search! If this doesn't end soon someone is going to die because of it and then it will be too late! You have to consider this."

"I don't care!" Thorin said through gritted teeth. His voice was filled with so much bitterness and resentment. "It's worth all the blood that can be spilled. I will not give up on this search."

Without thinking Allie brought forwards her hand to slap Thorin harshly against his cheek. The sound echoed throughout the hall and the entire Company was watching the two of them as a heavy tension filled the air.

Allie bit her lip as tears pooled in her eyes. There was honestly not a trace of her father inside of this man left. The Thorin Oakenshield that she knew and loved would never risked the lives of his kin this way. She had lost him.

Some of the dwarves were now standing next to Allie. It were Dwalin and Fili who had placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder in the hope to comfort Alie, but it wasn't working. She was completely overwhelmed and shaken up from this situation.

"There is something that I ought you to know," Allie said cautiously. "Whenever this is all over I will resign my right to the throne of Erebor. I don't want to be its Queen after your reign. You have to find another successor, because it will not be me. In fact I've decided that I'm going to the Shire to live the rest of my life with Bilbo."

There was a faintest hint of bitterness and disgust in her father's eyes at her words. "Do you honestly believe that I will let you leave with this foolish _Halfling_?" Thorin sneered back, gesturing to Bilbo. "I will not allow this to happen, Allie. You are to be Erebor's Queen! I am your father and you will listen as I say! And that's final!"

"You are not acting like the man who raised me at all!" Allie shouted back. "My father would never act like such a stubborn ass! He would've never given up on the people who love and care for him. You are not my father! Don't think for one second that you can stop me! Your actions would've even disgusted my mother. She would've been so disappointed in you! As she should be. Your actions sicken me!"

This time it was Thorin who used the back of his hand to slap Allie across her left cheek. She gasped in utter shock as she brought up her hand to touch her sensitive skin, that throbbed painfully underneath her fingers. Allie knew the dragonsickness had a terrible effect on her father, but she never thought it would be this strong. He had never physically hurt her before in his life. The Thorin she knew had vowed to protect her.

"Enough, Thorin!" Dwalin interfered as he stepped in front of Allie to shield her from him. "You cannot even see what you've become. You were an honorable man once. Not someone who would hurt the person that he valued more than anything in this world. You are forgetting who you are."

Thorin had broken an unwritten line.

Bilbo was there and enfolded Allie into an embrace as she cried into his shoulder. She was shaking in his arms and he tried to console her by running his fingers through her red hair.

"Allie has already lost her mother all those years ago," Bofur chimed in. "Don't make her lose you as well."

"If you don't fight this sickness there is every chance that we will all lose you, uncle," Fili tried to reason with him.

"You've completely lost track of that person that you used to be," Kili added grimly.

"You once banished a dwarf because he lay a hand on Allie," Bilbo interfered, hoping Thorin would remember what he did with Nyad. He had banished the dwarf out of the Blue Mountains because he had continuously hurt Allie.

"Know this," Dwalin said with a threatening voice. "The next time you lay a finger on Allie again we will not be this lenient."

"If you don't find your inner self again you are going to lose everything, Thorin," Balin warned him. "Not just your own life. But everything that you've fought so hard for your whole life to achieve, including Allie. You've promised Arabella that you were always going to be there for Allie. You have to keep your word."

Bilbo was somewhat amazed and conflicted by the while situation as he listened to all the dwarves trying to get through Thorin's thick skull. He had never anticipated that Thorin would actually physically hurt Allie, but it only made it more obvious that the dragonsickness had an immensely strong hold on him. When Bilbo had seen how Thorin had hit Allie he broke. He wanted nothing more than to fight the dwarf who responsible for hurting the woman that he loved more than anything in the world, even if he stood no chance against him. He couldn't stand by and watch Allie getting hurt. He knew that Thorin had no control over this sickness, but that didn't mean that he could get away with it.

Thorin was silent as his kin did whatever they could to talk to him. He was redrawn for a while until he eventually turned around and walked away from everyone.

There fell a silence in the hall as everyone's hope began to fade some more. Everyone knew that there was almost no chance for Thorin to snap out of this sickness. Him being inside this cursed mountain where there was so much wealth and treasure to be found wasn't helping either. It only made everything worse.

Eventually the rest of the Company left the vast hall which left Bilbo behind with a sniffling Allie in his arms. He was kissing the tip of her hair in the hope to console her, but he wasn't sure how to do it after everything Allie had just gone through. "Allie, I'm so sorry," he said eventually in an apologetic manner, also because he hadn't been able to prevent this from happening.

"It's not your fault, Bilbo," she muttered into his shoulder. "It's this weakness that runs in my family and this cursed treasure inside this mountain. I almost wished that we would've never made it to Erebor so that this would've never happened. This is not my father at all. This is not the man who taught me who to walk and who loved my mother."

"I cannot even imagine what you're going through at the moment, Allie," Bilbo said.

Allie pulled back her head so that she could look him in the eye. "I'm just scared that I will lose him for good if he doesn't get out of this," she said quietly. "He's all that I have left."

Bilbo rubbed her tear tracks away. When he touched the sensitive skin on her cheek which had reddened she slightly flinched. "Allie, of course losing people that you love is something to be scared of. Thorin has always been there for you and he was a great dad for his little princess. The two of you have always been immensely close together, especially after you lost your mother. That brought the two of you even closer. And to lose that person who has always been such a rock in your life is something that you don't want to think about. No matter what happens with your father, you are not alone. There are many people that care about you and who love you, Allie. I know for certain that the dwarves would do anything for you. As will I, Allie Fairchild. I cannot make you any false promises that things are going to get better, but we are going to do whatever can to make that happen."

Allie brought their mouths together and Bilbo felt the salty taste of her tears on her lips as she slowly kissed him. Allie was damaged, but Bilbo was who she needed to recover. He was the fire that she needed to be ignited. This was the man that she was going to leave everything and everyone behind for, and she did it without a moment's hesitation.

It was going to be an uphill battle but they were going to be alright.


	44. Visitors

**Chapter 44: Visitors**

 _There was a slight breeze in the air as four year old Allie ran down the road near the settlement in the Blue Mountains. The sun was setting and the sky was a mixture of pink and orange hue. Despite her small size Allie was running rapidly over the rocky path as she chased a brown fox._

 _"Allie, you have to be careful, darling," Arabella Cotton warned, her voice soft and gentle. She was clothed in an indigo colored dress that was made by the dwarves and her red curls were framing her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were a deep amber color, but there was something ethereal and beautiful about Arabella. There were even fluffs of red hair on her large hobbity feet._

 _Together with her husband, Thorin Oakenshield, and their daughter the Halfling was enjoying some time together with her family. The two of them had had quite a busy day looking after their people. For now it was just the three of them and that was enough. They were perfectly content with that._

 _"Mommy, look!" Allie shouted to get her mother's attention. "I almost caught the fox this time."_

 _Arabella gave her daughter a subtle smile. "And what do you hope will happen when you catch this fox?" She asked her cautiously. "This fox is clearly a mother fox that is trying to get back to her family."_

 _Allie's big icy blue eyes shifted curiously at her. "She has a family?"_

 _Arabella knelt down in the grass and gestured for Allie to come closer to her. "Look, she is carrying food with her, Allie. She must have a nest here somewhere and you getting in her way of getting there. Her children are very depended on their mother after all. They need their mother to protect them from all the evil in the world."_

 _Allie nodded understandingly as she petted the fox which purred in return. "Everyone needs their mother," she said determined._

 _"You are absolutely right, petal," Arabella replied fondly as she looked at her daughter that looked like a younger version of herself. "As your mother I will always be there to love and protect you. I will guide you every step of the way in your life." She wrapped her arm around Allie and kissed her forehead in a loving manner. "Never lose that spark of yours, dear one. Know that I love you more than anything in the world."_

 _"Also know that you are fortunate enough to have two parents that love you," Thorin reminded her with a warm smile on his face, ruffling through Allie's curls in an affectionate way. "You surely are a blessing in our lives, Allie."_

 _"I love you both," Allie replied firmly with a chuckle as she went to hug her father. "I am lucky."_

 _"And you're tired," Arabella pointed out amusingly when they heard Allie yawn._

 _"I'm not," Allie disagreed. "It's early!"_

 _"We've got you, Allie," Thorin said in a comforting way as he lifted his daughter onto his shoulder. Her small fingers were playing with the braids in her father's dark ebony hair. Thorin gave Arabella a short kiss as he grabbed hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers. "I love you, Bells."_

 _Arabella flashed him the warmest smile that she could muster. "I love you too, Thorin," she replied cheerfully. "I love my family."_

 _With that the three of them began to walk further down the road as the night closed in on them. They couldn't be bothered with it. For them this simply was enough._

As Allie slowly opened her eyes she realized that she was lying in a the large bed in her great-aunts chamber. During the night she had crawled closer to Bilbo and had her head placed on his chest as he had his arm protectively wrapped around her waist.

"Allie, what's wrong, dove?" Bilbo asked when he noticed the frown between her eyebrows.

"Nothing is wrong, Bilbo," she reassured him, stroking his bare chest. "I just had a dream about my mother. It was when I was four years old and I was with her and my father." She told him in detail about what her mother told her. "It is such an important memory that I have of her, of both of them. Life was so simple back then and we were really happy."

"It may sound impossible and delusional right now but you will be that happy again, Allie," Bilbo vowed her. "It might take a long time, but we're going to get there together. I will make sure of that. In the meantime you should never let go of those beautiful memories that you have of them."

To let her know that he meant what he was saying he kissed her cheek. Throughout her life Allie had always hoped that she would find a love similar to that of her parents, and she had found that with Bilbo. With him at her side she was less vulnerable.

~~0~~0~0~0

Allie's boots barely made any noise as she walked over the rocky floor. She stepped over a couple of boulders that had fallen down when Smaug had attacked Erebor all those years ago. Near the end was a small stone staircase that leaded her up the outer wall.

Night had already fallen and there were many stars in the sky. As a chill breeze blew through Allie's curls she protectively wrapped her arms around herself in the hope to keep herself warm. She had mainly come here to feel the wind and to look at the sky.

"Did you need a breather as well?" Oin asked when he noticed her.

Allie turned her head. "Yeah, it's nice to get some air when you've been inside this dusty and dark mountain for so long. I don't know how you all can stay inside Erebor for so long without wanting to get away every once in a while."

"I guess that is because of who your mother was," Gloin enlightened her. The two dwarves were clearly here for the first watch of the night. "You have always been eager to leave the mountains, even back when we were in the Blue Mountains. It's definitely the hobbit part inside of you that's so strong."

"I'm sure that you're right, Gloin. I'm just glad whenever I get some fresh air," Allie replied with a smile. She gazed back ahead of her and was surprised when she saw something. It almost looked as if there were lights burning in Dale. "What's that over there?"

"We think that the people of Lake-Town are now residing in Dale," Oin answered.

"It also looks as if they're being aided by elves," Gloin added grimly. "The valley is filled with elven archers. We have to be cautious or we will be shot."

An alliance between elves and men didn't exactly sound promising. If the two were to fight together then the dwarves would surely stand no chance against such a strong force. They were simply outnumbered. They could only hope that this wouldn't result into a battle or they would be slaughtered. It sounded rather silly.

"Do you think that Thranduil is there with his elves?" Allie asked doubtfully. She already feared the answer. Thranduil being here could only result in another nasty encounter with her father and she doesn't want to witness that.

"Either that or he sent his son along with them," Oin responded gruffly. Neither situation was a good one for them.

"I guess we have to see what the morning brings," Allie said cautiously. There was literally nothing that they could do about this situation than wait.

Despite their discovery Allie was still able to sleep a couple of hours. The sun had only just risen when the entire Company was gathered on top of the outer-wall. Just as Allie had feared they watched the army of both armed men and elves come up the valley's head. It hadn't taken the large force long before they came closer towards the mountain.

"Who are you?" Thorin called in a very loud voice. "That comes armed to the gates of Thorin son of Thrain, King under the Mountain. Tell me what it is that you desire?"

Surprisingly enough there was no answer. Some of the men turned away while other continued to gaze at the gate. Eventually the army made a camp between the arms of the mountain. It wasn't long before the sound of harps and sweet music filled the air. Their merriment confused Allie profoundly because she didn't understand their cause for celebration. Still some of their songs and singing touched he heart.

After several hours the dwarves brought out their harps and instruments which they had discovered in the hoard. They began to play music in the hope to soften Thorin's foul mood. Th song that they had chosen was not an elvish song, and it was similar to the song that they had song long ago in Bilbo's beloved Bag End. Allie only remembered it well. It had felt like a lifetime ago.

 _"Under the Mountain dark and tall_

 _The King has come unto his hall!_

 _His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread,_

 _And ever so his foes shall fall._

 _The sword is sharp, the spear is long,_

 _The arrow swift, the Gate is strong;_

 _The heart is bold that looks on gold;_

 _The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong._

 _The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,_

 _While hammers fell like ringing bells_

 _In places deep, where dark things sleep,_

 _In hollow halls beneath the fells._

 _On silver necklaces they strung_

 _The light of stars, on crowns they hung_

 _The dragon-fire, from twisted wire_

 _The melody of harps they wrung._

 _The mountain throne once more is freed!_

 _O! wandering folk, the summons heed!_

 _Come haste! Come haste! across the waste!_

 _The king of friend and kin has need. Now call we over mountains cold,_

 _'Come hack unto the caverns old'! Here at the Gates the king awaits,_

 _His hands are rich with gems and gold._

 _The king is come unto his hall Under the Mountain dark and tall._

 _The Worm of Dread is slain and dead,_

 _And ever so our foes shall fall!"_

Eventually the song came to an end and Allie was completely moved by it. She anticipated what her father's next move was going to be when she noticed a familiar figure amongst the armed men and elves.

It was Bard.


	45. A messenger

**Chapter 45: A messenger**

The last time that Allie had encountered Bard been during their visit in Lake-Town. Even now the fisherman's warning was still clear inside her head. He had been right about Smaug destroying everything and now the innocent people of Lake-Town had nothing left. There had been many casualties when the dragon had come and the remainder of the town had been burned to ash. Of course, this is why the survivors had come to the city of Dale so that they at least had a place to stay during all of this. Still Allie hadn't expected that Bard would be a leader to his people, but after he had killed Smaug they had turned to him for guidance and leadership.

Thorin once again asked them their business and this time he was answered.

"Hail Thorin!" Bard greeted him as he stepped forwards. Bilbo noticed Allie discomfort beside him and reached out to grab her hand and squeezed it gently in the hope to console her. "Why do you fence yourself like a robber in his hold? We are not foes. Not yet at least. We are rejoiced to see that you are all alive beyond our hope. We didn't expect to find anyone alive here. Now that we've found you alive we should discuss a parley and a council."

Thorin exchanged a brief glance with Allie before looking back at the dark-haired man. "And who are you exactly?" He asked, coming to the point. "And what would you parley?"

"My name is Bard," he replied. "It was I who slayed the dragon and delivered you your treasure. Doesn't that concern you? I am by right decent the heir of Girion of Dale, and in your hoard is mingled with much of the wealth of his town and halls. Smaug stole this many years ago. I believe that is a matter of which we can speak. The dragon also destroyed the dwellings of the men of Esgaroth. am yet the servant of their Master. I would speak for him while I can and ask whether you have no thought for the sorrow and misery of his people. His people have aided you during your distress and in recompense you have thus far only brought ruin, even though it was undesigned."

Allie blinked unsure at the man's words. She hadn't been aware that he was a true descendent of Girion. It would be a waste of energy to hope that her father would listen to Bard's words. The dragonsickness that held Thorin in its gasp was far too strong. _Don't disappoint me now, Khagam. I need you now more than ever. Find your inner voice._

"You put your worst cause last and in the chief place," Thorin answered bitterly. The treasure of my people belongs to no one. It was Smaug who stole it from us also stole him from life or his. The treasure was not his that his evil deeds should be amended with a share of it. We will fairly pay-in due time for the goods and the assistance that we received of the Lake-Men. We will give them nothing, not even a loaf of bread. I will not discuss anything wile and armed host lies for my door."

That was not the answer that Allie had hoped to hear and she let out an expressed sigh.

"We are not robbers," Bard made clear. "Even so my other claims remain unanswered."

"I will not parley, not with an armed host at my gate. Nor will I will the people of the Elvenking, of whom I am not that fond. They have no place in this debate. Begone now ere our arrows fly!" Thorin snapped back in utter contempt. "If you would choose to speak with me again I would recommend it if you would dismiss the elvish host to the woods where they belong. And lay down your arms!"

"Thranduil is my friend," Bard responded. "He has aided the people of Lake-Town in their need. We will give you time to repent your words. Gather your wisdom when we return!" With those words Bard departed back to the camp.

A couple of hours had gone by until the banner-bearers returned and the trumpeters came ford and blew a new tune. "In the name of Esgaroth and King Thranduil," one man cried. "We speak unto the King under the Mountain, Thorin son of Thrain, and we bid him consider well the claims that have been urder or be declared. He shall deliver one twelfth portion of the treasure unto Bard, as he is the dragon-slayer and the heir of Girion. From that portion Bard will be able to contribute to the aid of Esgaroth."

The man only just finished speaking when Thorin seized a bow from Fili and shot an arrow t the speaker. It smote into his shield and stuck their quivering.

"Are you insane, Khagam?" Allie shouted in utter rage as she pulled back her hand from Bilbo's grasp and approached her father. "You're risking everyone's lives with this nonsense!"

"Since this is your answer," the speaker continued. "I declare the Mountain besieged. You shall not depart from it, until you call on your side for a truce and a parley. We will bear no weapons against you, but we leave you to your gold. You may eat it if you will!"

With that the messengers departed as swiftly as they had come.

"You are a fool!" Allie yelled at her father. "If you're going to keep this up you're going to get us all killed! I can't let you do this!"

Thorin said nothing and was the first to venture back inside the mountain. Allie was still boiling with rage as she tried to control her shaking hands. She felt how Dwalin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did whatever you could, lass."

"I didn't try hard enough," Allie disagreed. "He will not listen to what I have to say. It feels as if I'm talking to a brick wall."

"At least you tried to reason with him," Kili intervened with a sigh. "We did nothing."

"That's not your fault," Allie replied, smiling somberly at her youngest cousin.

"Nor is it yours," Balin said. "Perhaps someone else should do the talking instead of Thorin. Someone who the delegation of Lake-Town will listen to."

"I think Fili would be properly suited for that," Bofur added. "The lad is heir to the throne after all."

"You're right," Fili agreed. He would become King some day in the far future so talking with the people of Lake-Town would be a good exercise for him. It could help him with getting the experience that he would need if he would finally be King.

Allie wasn't exactly paying attention to the rest of the conversation and walked to the outer-wall where she had seen Bilbo head to not too long ago. She found the Halfling seated on a fallen boulder, running his fingers through his auburn hair. "I'm so done with this place. Wherever I go I can smell the foul scent of dragon," he grumbled to himself. "I'm sick of it. I'm craving some of my food from my pantry back at Bag End."

"Don't be so gloom, Bilbo," Allie said as she approached him. He turned his head and smiled at her when he saw who it was as she sat down next to him. "You'll get to bake your cakes sooner or later. You have to hold onto that."

He grabbed her hands and kissed her fingers in a loving way. "I would like to have baking competitions with you some day," he told her.

Allie chuckled. "I'm not that skilled as a baker I'm afraid. By being a part of the royal family I was hardly allowed to cook or bake anything myself so I don't have much experience with it."

"How about gardening?" Bilbo asked her.

"We don't exactly have gardens in Ered Luin so I've never planted anything before," Allie admitted. "That didn't mean that I never wanted to garden though. I've always been fascinated with gardens and flowers."

"And which are your favorite flowers and plants then?"

Allie smirked at him. "I do like poppies and daffodils."

Her answer pleased Bilbo would adressed her a warm smile. "My garden at Bag End is big enough for lots of different plants and flowers. I could take you to the market to buy you all that you desire. Whatever you want I'll give you."

Allie leaned closer to press her forehead against his. "I don't want much, Bilbo. Just flowers." She took her time to kiss Bilbo there who sighed against her lips. "We still have to find a way to deal with my father. He refuses to see reason and it could mean the end of the company if we don't do anything about that."

"Maybe we should give the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil so that they can trade it. Your father would do everything to get his hands on his jewel," Bilbo suggested wisely. "He might honor his promises for that."

"Perhaps you're right. That's actually pretty clever, Bilbo. Do you care to pay a visit to the elves and men with me?" she asked him. Bilbo nodded eagerly.


	46. Thieves in the night

**Chapter 46: Thieves in the night**

There was a slight chill in the night air as Allie and Bilbo made decended down the rope that hung over the large wall of Erebor. They had managed to get there without any of the nearby dwarves noticing them leaving. As they reached the floor Bilbo tightly grabbed Allie's hand shoved the ring around his other hand which gave them the perfect advantage.

Because they had sneak around an awful lot during their quest they had gained plenty of experience to be rather skilled at this. It was also useful that they were hobbits and that they feet barely made any noise as it touched the floor. Despite that they still did their best to walk on the tip of their toes and to make as little noise as possible.

Not far removed from the slopes of Erebor were the ruins of Dale. King Thranduil had his army spread out on this territory and they were able to see elven soldiers pretty much everywhere which warned them to be vigilant and careful. Elves did have superior hearing after all. The path they were taking guided them to the outside of the vast encampment that Thranduil had set up. From here they were a bit away from the elves and so that they could speed up a little.

In the centre of the ruins stood a large tent where the elven King was residing it. There were plenty of soldiers that were guarding it so they knew that they were going the right way. Allie was so focused on their suroundings that she almost tripped over a small boulder. Bilbo was there to catch her before she would fall and would expose them both in return. He held her for a couple of moments until he was convinced that none of the elves had heard them.

He gazed at her. "Allie, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, thanks to you," she replied with a whisper. She was about to say something else when she saw a familiar figure walking down the path that they were on. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Bilbo turned his head to follow her line of sight and saw what Allie was looking it. The person was tall and Bilbo was able to distinguish the man's tall pointy hat and gray cloak that he wore, even in the dark of the night. "It's Gandalf. What is he doing here?"

"There's only one way to find out."

This time it was Allie that pulled Bilbo along with her as they followed the path that they had seen Gandalf take. The wizard was escorted into the tent that they assumed Thranduil was staying in. Ignoring her emotions Allie let go off Bilbo's hand as she pushed the tent flap aside and entered.

"If it isn't Allie Fairchild," Thranduil said with an amused smirk on his face. "I didn't think that you would be sneaking into my tent at this time of day."

"Allie! Bilbo Baggins!" the deep voice from Gandalf exclaimed once he caught side of them. He didn't know if he should be upset that they had showed up here unannounced and without the rest of the dwarves. Still he was glad to see the two of them again since it had been almost two months since he had last seen them. "Why are you here on your own?"

"It's great to see you again, Gandalf," Allie replied with a fond smile. She noticed that Bard was also present. "We actually came here with a reason."

"I have an unanswered question that I hope the two of you can answer for me," Thranduil began as he got onto his feet. The elven King was wearing a shimmering silver robe and a crown made of twigs and berries. "I still have no idea how all these dwarves managed to escape from my dungeon without anyone of my guards noticing."

Allie addressed a loving and proud look with Bilbo who stood close next to her. "That was all Bilbo."

Bilbo took his time to tell them what happened in Mirkwood and how his escape plan had succeeded. "So you mean to tell me that you, a Halfling, stole the keys from my guards and used that to free the dwarves from my dungeons?" Thranduil asked with a raised eyebrow. Bilbo merely muttered a 'yesh' which brought out a smile on Thranduil's face. "I have to admit that your choice of escape was rather impressive. Especially by using the barrels."

"It's quite a story indeed," Bard agreed which was actually the first thing he had said since they had arrived. "I don't understand why you two are here without the dwarves?"

"We've been meaning to give you something," Bilbo said. He grabbed something from the inside pocket of his waistcoat and placed it on the table in the centre of the tent. It was covered underneath a thin grey fabric. Bard and Thranduil exchanged a confused look with each other before Thranduil pulled the fabric away only to reveal the white jewel. It was glistering beautifully in the candlelight. They could hear Thranduil, Bard and Gandalf gasp at the sight of the jewel.

"The Arkenstone," Thranduil muttered in awe.

"How is it yours to give?" Bard asked them.

Bilbo licked his lips. "We took it as our share of the treassure. Everyone knows that Thorin is stubborn and refuses to listen to anyone. I always thought that there was nothing Thorin valued more than Allie, but that's not the case anymore. He's suffering severly from dragonsickness. There's nothing he wouldn't do to get his hands on this stone. I've grown very fond of these dwarves and I want nothing more than to protect them."

"I believe my father would give you what you're looking for if you trade him the Arkenstone," Allie told them. "He might be angry at first when he discovers that you have it, but he should come to terms with it eventually. This might be the only chance you have of convincing my father to aid you."

"Don't you fear your father's wrath when he finds out that you turned against him?" Bard asked skeptically.

"It's nothing like that. I fear losing my kin more than my father's wrath," Allie enlightened them. "He's not himself anymore and he doesn't have any control over his actions. The honorable man that he once was is gone. I believe that the only thing that will can change my father's mind will be the Arkenstone. It's worth the try."

Gandalf looked in complete bewilderment at Bilbo and Allie. When they had just started this adventure earlier this year he had never imagined that they would risk everything to keep the dwarves safe. Hobbits truly were remarkable creatures. Still from the way that Allie and Bilbo acted around each other he knew that something more had played out between them, and he could only flash a small smile because of it.

"Alright, I think your proposition is fair," Thranduil said. "We will present the Arkenstone to your father in the morning. The two of you surely have some courage which is to be admired."

"Thank you, Lord Thranduil," Bilbo and Allie said at the same time and bowed their heads at him and Bard and walked out of the tent. The first phase of their plane had succeeded. They could only hope that Thorin would be able to see sense and give everyone what they were hoping for. Allie did feel more hopeful because Thranduil and Bard had the Arkenstone. There was a small chance that her father would snap out of it and she had to hold onto that.

The elven guards and soldiers were aware of their presence so there was no need for them to sneak back to the mountain. That didn't mean that Bilbo wasn't holding Allie's hand. There was no way that he would risk that she wasn't right behind him

"Wait!" the voice of Gandalf called out to them. They came to a halt and saw that the wizard approached them. Suprisingly enough Allie rushed towards him to throw her arms around his neck and heard him laugh deeply at her action. "I'm glad to see you too, Allie."

"I wanted to do it earlier actually," Allie admitted. "I honestly feared that I wouldn't see you for another couple of months or something. Or perhaps that you wouldn't show up at Erebor at all. How did your encounter with the necromancer go?"

"Not as well as I would've liked, Allie," Gandalf told her seriously. "I'm afraid that I have to tell you that the wizard Radagast and I have discovered that the necromancer is no one else than Sauron. We were lured into a trap in Dol Guldur where we encounter Sauron's shade form."

Allie pulled back as her jaw slightly fell. "Sauron," she repeated. "You mean the Dark Lord that got killed centuries ago by Isildur who cut off his hand?" She saw how Bilbo frowned heavily at that. Clearly that part of history wasn't that known among hobbits.

"I wish that I didn't have to tell you this. Still there is no need for you to worry," Gandalf tried to reassure them.

"Not to worry? You just said the Dark Lord has returned to Middle-Earth," Bilbo replied unsure. "That doesn't exactly sound very good."

"It doesn't," Gandalf said. "Still Saruman, Lord Elrond, the Lady Galadriel and I have faced Sauron in Dol Guldur. He is not defeated, but he has fled towards Mordor. All I know is that Saruman is hunting him down and will face him sooner or later. For now we don't have to worry about Sauron. He has lost most of his power and it is going to take a long time until he's strong enough."

"It still doesn't sound very comforting," Allie replied with parted lips.

"I know, but we have more important things to worry about. Are you two honestly returning to the mountain now? The dwarves will be furious when they realize what you've done."

"We had to do it, Gandalf," Bilbo firmly replied. "We had no other choice and I'm sure the dwarves will understand. Perhaps Thorin will too."

"I have to ask the two of you something," Gandalf began which awoke their curiosity. "Are the two of you together?"

Allie exchanged a loving look with Bilbo as she bursted into sweet laughter. "Yes, we are actually."

"We are planning on going back to the Shire together once this is all over," Bilbo told him with a happy chuckle.

The wizard joined their joyful laughter. "I did have my suspicion. Still that is absolutely wonderful to hear. We will talk more about this another time. Go back to the mountain before the others will realize that you're missing. It will all be alright."

Allie and Bilbo nodded as they headed back to Erebor.


	47. An armed host

**Chapter 47: An armed host**

That night Allie was barely able to get any sleep. She couldn't help but feel restless which had resulted into her constantly tossing and turning in the bed that she shared with Bilbo. It actually amazed her that Bilbo slept through all of that and didn't hear her heavy sighs. Eventually Allie left the bed so that she wouldn't wake Bilbo. He needed all the sleep that he could get.

She sat on a sofa in the corner of the chambers. This way she could be alone with her thoughts since sleep wouldn't come to her. Of course she was fearful how this situation with her father would enfold. She couldn't lose her whole kin because her father was too sick to see sense.

"Allie, have you been sitting here all night?"

She turned her head and saw that Bilbo approached her. His hair was sticking out in every direction which was an adorable sight. He was yawning softly as he sat down on the sofa beside her. Apparently she had been sitting here alone for longer than she thought. The sun was about to rise.

"Not the whole night," she admitted. "I think I only sat here for a couple of hours. I didn't want to keep you awake with all my tossing and turning."

"You didn't, Allie," Bilbo reassured her. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"You know what I'm worrying about, Bilbo," Allie said terrified. "I am scared about what will happen. What if the dragonsickness has a too strong hold on my father? I cannot lose any people."

Bilbo wrapped his arms around her middle. "I wish that I could tell you something that would reassure you, but I cannot lie to you, Allie. I do not know what will happen out there. Just know that you're not alone and there are plenty of dwarves at your aid."

After their little moment they went to get dressed. Allie put on armour that she had found in the armoury of Erebor. It existed of gold chainmail and fitting black pants and heavy boots. She had her daggers stuffed inside those boots. Bilbo was wearing that mithril vest that Thorin had given him underneath his blue waistcoat. Sting was tightly put inside his scabbard.

Together they left the chambers they had been staying in. With every step Allie took she felt that bundle of anxiety inside her stomach intensify. It was as if she walking towards a doom that she couldn't prevent and she hated feeling this way. Bilbo was the one who held her hand in the hope to somewhat reassure her during this encounter.

As they reached the outer wall of the Mountain they saw that the whole company was already waiting there. They were also wearing heavy armour that they had found in the armoury. Allie could only hope that they wouldn't need to use that armour today, but she wasn't that convinced. Her father was standing at the front. He was clothed in a beautiful golden armour that had been especially made for the line of Durin. He wore a matching crown on his head that really did let everyone know that he had the authority as King.

Allie gazed over the wall and saw that the entirity of Thranduil's army had filled the whole slopes of Erebor. It seemed that they were also ready to fight should it come to this. There was also a smaller deligation of suvivors of Lake-Town. Allie watched how Thranduil was riding on a large white elk which was truly a majestic sight. Bard was at his side on a horse as they approached the mountain.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain," Bard greeted him in formal greeting. "We know that the mountain is currently besieged. That is why we came here to negotiate with you. We have something that you might want back."

Bard grabbed the Arkenstone from his pocket and exposed it in the air. Even from where all the dwarves were standing they could easily tell which jewel the man was holding. With a heavy heart Allie closely observed the expression on her father's face. She could see a certain glint in his eyes as if someone had taken everything he treasured from his life.

"How did you came by the Arkenstone?" Fili bellowed loudly.

"That jewel belongs to our house!" Kili added in rage. "It doesn't belong to you!"

"Perhaps they stole it," Gloin grumbled.

"Nah, we would've noticed a couple of elves sneaking into the mountain," Dori stubbornly disagreed. "There is no way that they have taken it."

"This is nothing but a lie!" Thorin shouted with a deep voice. "They're trying to trick us but we will not fall for this devilry. Take it away!" He aimed a bow towards Bard and Thranduil, threatening to shoot so that they would leave.

Thranduil merely raised his hand and at that all of his soldiers aimed their bows towards the mountain wall and all the dwarves cowardly hid behind the wall, all except Thorin and Allie it was. Allie did her best to not show him how much this situation was hurting her. She couldn't believe that her father wasn't falling for it.

"The stone is real," Bilbo then said which caused everyone to look at him. "I know it better than anyone because I was the one who gave it to them last night. It's anything but a trick."

Thorin gazed at the Halfling with nothing but resentment and betrayal in his eyes. It seemed that he hadn't expected that Bilbo would be the one who would hurt him this way. "You?" he asked with disbelieve and tears in his eyes.

"I had no other choice, Thorin. You're not the dwarf I met at Bag End and who I swore my allegiance to. You are risking the lives of your whole kin with this foolishness. You have to accept Bard and Thranduil's terms!" Bilbo snapped back. "You're going to lose everything if you won't."

Thorin took a few steps forwards. "I should've known that you were nothing but a lying and sniffling thief! Do not think for one moment that I would give you and Allie my blessings! Your intentions towards her are nothing but lust and you want use her as af she's some common whore! I know what men are you are like!"

Allie was completely speechless at what her father had said. This was clearly the dragonsickness talking. She saw how Bilbo took a deep breath next to her. "You are nothing but a fool, Thorin," he said calm and collected. "You know well enough that my intentions towards Allie were never like that. You once told me that she was your mountain jewel. I love your daughter, Thorin. I'm not too afraid to admit that. I want nothing more than to take her with me to the Shire so that I can marry her and make her my wife so that I love her for the rest of my life. It was what someone as Allie deserves."

Allie's heart was beating enthusiastically inside her chest. Of course she was aware that Bilbo loved her, but this was the first time he had spoken so openly about his feeling in front of everyone to hear. Never before had they talked about getting married before, but as Allie stood there she realized that she wanted to get married to Bilbo. Becoming Miss Baggins sounded like a dream coming true.

Bilbo's words did have some effect on Thorin who had tears in his eyes. "Get out!" he said through gritted teeth. "Or I'll throw you off that rampard myself! I don't want to see you here anymore, you Shire-rat!"

"Khagam, I've had enough!" Allie intervened as she stepped in front of Bilbo. "You're an idiot and your hurting everyone with these actions of yours. Don't blame Bilbo for what he did because I helped him do it. If you sent him away I have no other choice but to follow him."

"No, Allie you're staying here," Thorin disagreed heavily as he tightly grabbed Allie's lower arm to keep her with him. She wanted to struggle free from his grasp but Bilbo gave her a certain look and shook his head.

"Fine, I'll go," Bilbo insisted before this situation would deteriorate further. "I'll see you again, Allie." She nodded with a faint smile on her lips as she watched with a heavy heart how Bilbo was about to descent down the rope. It felt all wrong because Bilbo was supposed to be there at her side, not somewhere where she couldn't see him.

"You haven't been making the finest choices as a King!" the deep voice came from Gandalf who stood next to Thranduil and Bard on the slopes. At she sight of the wizard Allie let out a small sigh especially because Bilbo was standing at his side. At least he wasn't out there unprotected.

"You still haven't given us an answer, Thorin Oakenshield," Thranduil reminded him.

"Precisely. Tell us if you seek peace or war?" Bard asked a final time.

Allie anxiously bit her fingers as she awaited her father's answer. That strange glint returned to Thorin's eyes before he answered. "I know what I want and it's war!" _War._ That meant that he was willing to risk the safety of his kin. It was enough to cause Allie's throat to tighten because the dragonsickness had a too strong hold on Thorin and he couldn't fight it anymore. The man that she had known her whole life and that had raised her was gone. There was no way that she could see a glimmer of that man ever again and it broke her.

"You can't do this," she quietly replied.

"Perhaps we can sell the Arkenstone to Ecthelion of Gondor," Thranduil suggested, a small smirk on his lips.

"I'll kill you if you do that," Thorin threatened with a venomous voice.

Allie rubbed the tears from her eyes so that no one could see it. She observed how her father was continously staring at the horizon as if he was waiting for something to show up. Of course she had no idea what that could possibly be.

"Thorin, it's still not too late to change your mind," Gandalf told him. "You have the power to stop all this."

Thorin let out a bitter laugh. "That's not gonna happen."

Allie's breath hitched when she saw how the black raven Roäc landed on the wall next to her. She turned her head to see how a large army appeared at the horizon. From the way that they were holding it was clear that they were dwarves. The dwarf at the front was riding on a war-boar and Allie was able to recognize the dwarf with his ginger hair and beard everywhere.

Dain Ironfoot and his army had arrived at Erebor.


	48. Find your inner courage

**Chapter 48: Find your inner courage**

Allie was staring restlessly over the outer wall of the mountain as she watched how Dain and his army continued to ride closer across the slopes. Roäc squawked excitedly next to her. Clearly her father had asked for Dain's aid so that he would have a dwarven force to fight with. Thorin wasn't going to back down with a fight.

Dain's army was anything but small to say the least. There were hundreds of dwarves that had (bloodlust) in their eyes.

"Why didn't you tell us that you had sent word to Dain?" Allie asked rather agitated.

"Because you didn't need to know," Thorin sneered back.

It wasn't long until Dain had reached the bottom of the slope and called a halt to his army. His war-boar was grunting nervously. Dain was wearing heavy armour and a heavy silver helmet on his head. He was prepared for battle.

"Lord Dain," Allie called out as she leaned closer over the outer wall.

The dwarf gazed up at her and her kin for a second until he turned his attention to the people that were standing opposite from him. "Good morning to y'all," he greeted them, slightly raising the axe in his hand. "I demand that everyone here leaves the slopes unless they want to face the wrath of my army."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lord Dain," Gandalf harrumphed. "There is no need for a war between dwarves, elves and men. Stop this now while you can."

Dain didn't seem that impressed by his words and straightened himself. "There is no way that I'll stand down," he firmly replied. "Least of all to these elves there. They did nothing to aid my kin when the dragon Smaug attacked."

"Dain, listen to me," Allie pleaded desperately and saw how they all watched her. "My father is suffering tremendously from dragonsickness. He has no control over his own actions anymore which is why his word means nothing now. War is not the answer we seek. This will only result in unnecessary bloodshed."

"As long as it's elven blood I'm not exactly opposed to it," Dain stubbornly replied, causing Allie to curse under her breath.

"And I will not move my army," Thranduil made clear. He showed that he wasn't intimated by Dain's actions.

Dain laughed loudly. "That was the answer I was hoping for. If it's a battle you want, then you'll get one!" He shouted an order in Khuzdul to his men and his army almost immediately moved into position.

"I'll handle this," Thranduil told Bard as he ordered his own army around.

"Thranduil, no you have to reconsider!" Allie shouted. She felt how Balin grabbed her wrist before she would fall over the outer-wall. She realized that her arguing was pointless because they didn't hear her. A battle was about to enfold between dwarves and elves and she failed to prevent it.

Apparently the dwarves had built amazingly skilled balista's to defeat the arrows that the elves fired at them, indicating that the battle had begun. Some of the dwarves were riding on big war-goats which gave them the perfect advantage against the elves because it would be easier to hit them this way.

"Allie, don't beat yourself up about it," Bofur tried to comfort her.

"There's just no way that you could stop this," Gloin told her.

"This is going to turn into quite a frenzy," Nori said.

"There has to be a way," Allie said in disbelieve. She didn't want to give up on her people yet. Not when they were still alive.

"I don't think there is," Dwalin disagreed.

Balin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Allie, you did whatever could."

Still that didn't exactly convince her. She was desperately searching for a way to stop all of this. Out of nowhere the ground heavily began to shake and Allie tightly held onto Balin and Ori so that they would fall over. She continued to struggle to find balance on her feet which was rather difficult in this situation. At the far end of the slopes Allie could see the shape of several large creatures that had submerged from below the ground.

"Wereworms," Allie muttered in disbelieve. She recognized the foul creatures from the ancient stories that Balin had told her when she had been little.

There were at least four wereworms that Allie could see. That creatures had created a large enough whole in the ground so that a huge force of orcs and goblins come out of it. Azog had set out a master plan and had successfully succeeded into sneaking up on them without them noticing. The Defiler was keen on attacking the mountain, so that he could end the line of Durin himself.

The elven and dwarven armies below had stopped and saw how Azog's army came charging at them at a fast pace. It looked as if they had all lost the last bit of hope they had left. None of them knew how to deal with Azog's army which was twice the size of the armies that had gathered on the slopes of Erebor.

With the help of Balin Allie climbed onto the outer-wall of the mountain so that everyone could properly see her from where they stood. " _Dwarves of the Ironhills_!" Allie shouted in Khuzdul which earned their attention. " _Many years ago you've sworn an oath to your leader to fight for your land and to protect your people. Us dwarves have more honor and strength inside of us than any other race think we have. I want you to reach out to find that hidden courage. Are you not dwarves of the Ironhills?"_ The dwarves roared loudly in agreement. " _All I ask is that you fight for me, and your King so that we can fight this terrible foe together."_ At that the dwarves roared even louder and even Dain gave her a nod in confirmation.

Allie's gaze came across with that of Bilbo who was still standing next to Gandalf a bit away from the armies. She could see how he proudly smiled at her which she returned.

"I cannot believe you've did it," Balin gasped at her side.

"We're not there yet, Balin," Allie said unconvinced.

"What are you going to do?" Bombur asked her.

Allie licked her lips as she turned her attention to the other King that stood on the battle. "My Lord Thranduil and elves from the Woodland Realm," Allie began with a steady voice and spoke in the Common Tongue this time so everyone could hear it. "I know better than anyone about the ancient feud between elves and dwarves, but it doesn't have to be this way. A large host is coming our way and if we do not join our forces there will be no way that we are able to defeat it. Put down our grievances of the past or we will all die here if we do not fight our foe together."

There fell a short silence as everyone awaited the elves reaction. "You have my word," Thranduil promised her. He gave another signal to his army in Elvish and his army immediately went into position to charge.

"I'll fight with all of you," Allie told them. She then turned her head to see that all the dwarves had been watching her. "It's all going to be alright when this is over. We'll see each other again." Allie then looked at her father who had been nothing but quiet ever since Dain had arrived. He had been observing everything without uttering even a single word. "I know the the Dragonsickness is winning it from you, but I still have to say a few things to you. You've always been a wonderful father to me and I still love you no matter what. I want you to be proud of me."

With that she turned around and descended down the rope. As soon as her feet touched the ground Dain was there waiting for her. "You sure are something special, Allie," he told her fondly. "I've heard that you're rather skilled with those daggers of yours. You're welcome to hop on the back."

The back meant that she would be riding with him on his war-boar and Allie was a bit uncertain about that. Dwarves from the Blue Mountains didn't ride boars and goats so she had a little experience when it came to that. Still it would be a faster than having to run.

"It would be my pleasure," she told him as she eagerly got onto the back.

"Bharuk Khazad!" Dain chanted loudly and that indicated that the battle had officially begun.


	49. Stab and repeat

**Chapter 49: Stab and repeat**

Allie wasn't certain if riding on the back of the war-boar was exactly exhilarating or not. She had never ridden on such a large animal after all and she was struggling with reaching the passing orcs and goblins with her daggers which infuriated her beyond belief. Dain Ironfoot was fighting as if he was having the time of his life. Every time he struck an opponent he let out a satisfying laugh.

Eventually Allie had enough of it and leaped from the boar and successfully hit an orc in its shoulder who died right away. She heard Dain roar with laughter behind her. "That was a good one, lass," he told her.

"Likewise," she said with a wink.

Allie turned to some orcs and goblins that came rushing at her. From where she stood on the ground it was much easier for her to plunger her daggers into these foul creatures.

Wherever Allie looked she saw Azog's forces. The pale orc had brought so many of his orcs here that the dwarves, men and elves were deeply outnumbered. Still that they stop them from fighting and giving it everything that they had.

This was honestly the first time that Allie was participating in a battle of this scale. Still she was very driven to keep going and to just fight whatever foe that crossed her path. Luckily Allie wasn't a novice with her weapons so she knew how to fight back without getting hit herself.

Allie was a bit baffled when a large hideous looking troll came at her. In an instict Allie threw one of her daggers into the troll's shoulder who grunted loudly at that, which had only angered him more. Allie still had another dagger and a small sword in her boots left so she wasn't completely unarmed yet. Allie was about to throw her other dagger as well when the orc let out a piercing scream as he succumbed onto the ground.

"Tauriel!" Allie exclaimed in bewilderment when she saw that the red haired elf had come to her aid.

"I wasn't aware that our paths would cross again so soon, _perian_ ," Tauriel chuckled. She had her bow in her hands which she had just used to take down this troll.

"I'm nothing but grateful that it did," Allie admitted truthfully as she took her time to hug her during the midst of the battle. "I can only thank you for what you've just done for me. You saved my skin."

Tauriel flashed her a warm smile. "It wasn't just me." She gestured to the blonde haired elf that stood next to her. The woman was also wearing a similiar outfit like Tauriel which told her that she was part of the Mirkwood guard and soldiers. "This here is Yldris and she did help me."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss," Yldris said as took down a passing goblin with ease.

"Well, thank you, Yldris," Allie said. "I would like to talk more with you, but I don't think this is an appropriate time for it. I'll see you when this is all over."

Yldris and Tauriel agreed with that and turned their attention back to the orc and goblins that surrounded them. Allie retrieved her dagger from the dead troll's shoulder and twirled both her daggers in her hands to get that right feeling back.

Allie continued to fight some more orcs. She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of Bilbo fighting a couple of goblins by himself. He stood on the edge of the battle field towards Dale. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings so he didn't see the big orc that came towards him. Without even considering her options Allie rushed to Bilbo as fast as she could. She had to take care of a few goblins on the way there. Allie caught the orc by surprise and stabbed him with her dagger in its back, causing it to collapse onto the ground with a low grunt.

"Allie!" she heard Bilbo shout when he saw who it was. Despite that they were on the edge of the battle field Bilbo had somehow managed to tightly wrap his arms around Allie and she could only return it as she took in the scent of his skin. It felt incredibly nice to feel the warmt of his body against hers. "You have no idea how grateful I am to see you here. I thought you would be on the other side of the battle field."

Allie reveled in his touch for a few moments. "I wasn't aware that you were out here fighting on your own. Where is Gandalf?"

"He's not that far away from here actually," Bilbo told her as he gently pulled back. He completely surprised her when he pressesd his lips against hers for a few moments. It completely caught her off guard because it wasn't the perfect time for it, but Allie couldn't resist it when Bilbo kissed her. Because she was occupied she had no idea what was coming at them, and let out a yelp when an orc collapsed next to her on the ground. It turned out that Bilbo had stabbed it with Sting before he could hurt them.

"Thank you, Bilbo," Allie said breathlessly. "I hadn't seen that one coming."

"Don't worry about it. I was actually the one who was distracting you and for that I am sorry."

"There is no need for that. You are a very nice distraction, Bilbo."

He lightly chuckled. "I'll take you to Gandalf now. He'd be delighted to see you again."

Bilbo grabbed her hand and pulled her away. Allie only had to fight a couple of orcs on the way there, and did that without pulling her hand from Bilbo's. It turned out that the survivors of Lake-Town were fighting against a big part of Azog's army in the ruins of Dale. Bilbo leaded her through several paths of the ruins.

It turned out that Thranduil had retreated his army to Dale as well because there were plenty of his soldiers wherever she looked.

"Gandalf!" Bilbo shouted when she saw the wizard fighting alongside some men by using his staff. "I've found Allie on the edge of the battle field so I decided to bring her here to you."

"You truly are a sight for sore eyes, Allie Fairchild," Gandalf told her. "I have to say that it is because of you that the elves and dwarves are fighting against Azog's army together. The last time the two races have fought together was during the Dark Days."

"We wouldn't stand a chance at all if that hadn't joined forces," Allie pointed out.

"You're absolutely right of course," Gandalf said. "As you can see is that the people here are struggling against Azog's army. It will not be long until Dale will be completely overrun. The survivors of Lake-Town need you assistance, Allie. Most of them have never held a sword before in their lives. You have trained many dwarves back in the Blue Mountains."

"I will assist Bard and his people in the best way that I can," Allie promised. "That way they should stand a stronger chance against this army."

She saw how Bilbo gave her a doubtful look. Clearly he wasn't that fond of Allie fighting there without him. "Are you sure that would be wise, Allie? There are hundreds of orcs out there."

"It shouldn't really matter if I fight here or on the slopes of the mountain. I just want to fight for all the people I love. The people of Lake-Town need whatever aid they can get. It's going to be alright, Bilbo. I'll come back to you." She chastely kissed him before she ran down the street and disappeared between the ruins of Dale. She had to hold onto the fact that she was going to see him again.


	50. Coming to aid

**Chapter 50: Coming to aid**

It quickly dawned on Allie that the survivors of Lake-Town truly had no idea what they were doing. Most of them were just clumsily swinging with their swords at their opponents and hoped that they would hit them. There was no strategy or skills that came into place just lots of luck. Allie feared that the people would run out of luck sooner or later. There was only so long that they could keep up with this.

Allie was standing next to Bard and a couple of his people. Thankfully Bard had a little more experience with weapons that his people so he knew how to knock some heads off. Still the man was a lot more skilled with a bow and arrow. He had successfully taken down a dragon after all, even though he had used a large black arrow for that. Many people definitely looked up to that.

She saw how a middle aged man used his own bow to aim at an incoming troll. "You have to make an aim for its head," Allie instructed him as she took down an orc herself. "Their skin is too thick. There is no way an ordinary arrow can pierce it. That's why you have to aim for their heads because the skin is thinner there."

The man didn't look that convinced at her words. "Percy, just do what Allie says," he told him. "She knows what she's about."

Percy didn't argue and fired an arrow which landed on back of the troll's head. The creature let out a loud roar as Percy fired some more arrows. It was enough for the troll to collapse onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"Well, what do you know," Percy began in awe. "The woman really did know what she was talking about."

"Of course she did. Allie has some experience in training people in combat. I think she has fought some trolls herself," Bard replied impressed.

Allie laughed dryly. "Only a couple. Do not exgeretate." Surely her knowledge about trolls wasn't that exciting because she hadn't fought that many before. Trolls usually didn't venture to the Blue Mountain. On the other hand she did have a fair share of fights with orcs who were always challenging opponents because they were taller and stronger than she was. That meant she had to find her own strength to defeat a creature like that.

Normally Allie would've spent a long time with properly training people before she would let them fight foes like this, but there was no time for that. The men from Lake-Town were visibly struggling against Azog's strong forces. There were already plenty of corpses that lay scattered all over the floor.

That was why Allie had to instruct and correct the people as they were fighting which was far from easy. It didn't always work because the person didn't hear her shouting or they were too stubborn to do what she told them. There were only a couple of them that grew more comforting with fighting as the time dreaded on.

Fearfully Allie realized that the amount of orcs in Dale wasn't shrinking. It almost seemed as if more orcs had made their way into the ruins and Allie felt her arms tire with every blow she had to deliver. If she was already struggling then the people of Lake-Town had it even worse because they lacked proper strength and stamina.

"Are you sure we can stand a chance against this?" a woman on her right side asked her doubtfully. She was using a long swerving sword to slash the orcs with and was doing pretty well despite that this was her first time holding a sword.

"We have to believe that we can succeed," Allie replied out of breath. She was certain that the woman could hear that Allie wasn't exactly believing her own words. It was obvious that their chances were slim because Azog's forces were only extending.

"We simply have to keep going," another head-strongly added.

"My Lord!" The market is completely overrun!" a woman shouted as she ran towards Allie, Bard and the rest of the men. "There is no way that anyone is still alive there."

"My children are there," Bard said dreadfully. "I have to go there to try and save them. Anyone who wants to fight alongside is more than welcome to come with me."

"Bard, do you need my help?" Allie asked him. She was willing to give the man whatever help that he needed.

"No, Allie. Thank you, but you've played your part. You should return to Gandalf." Allie anxiously watched how Bard charged down the path and was being followed by most of his men. She could only wonder if she would ever see those people again. Their chances against that many orcs were surely slim.

Allie turned around and headed down the opposite direction. Luckily there weren't that many orcs that crossed her path she only had to stop a couple of times. Gandalf wasn't that far away from where Allie had left him earlier. The wizard was swinging aggressively with his staff and decapitated two orcs in the process. Bilbo was fighting at his side and used Sting to stab another orc.

It was truly an astonishing sight to see Bilbo fighting like that. He didn't have to participate in this battle at all because none of them were his kin. Still he had sworn his loyalty to the dwarves. Bilbo's heart was big which was why he was skillfully handling orcs on his own to protect as many people as he could. His skills with his sword had definitely grown in the couple of months that he had started training. Bilbo had been nothing but an eager learner.

"Gandalf! Bilbo!" Allie shouted as she approached them. She was out of breath from having to run all the way here. "I think it's best if we go now. The market is completely overrun. It won't be long until the orcs will make their way here as well."

"I don't think it will matter that much," Gandalf responded. "Azog's army is simply everywhere. It's like he even got orcs from Gundabad to fight for him."

"You want to stay here?" Bilbo skeptically asked.

"For a little while," the wizard replied and it was clear that he wasn't exactly convinced.

Allie wanted to say something but stopped when she heard the piercing sound of a horn that was being blown on. "That horn belongs to the dwarves," Allie said and hurried to a nearby balustrade with Bilbo on her heels. From where they stood they had a perfect view of the slopes of Erebor. Allie's heart sank when she saw how Dain's army were being pressed back against the mountain by at least three hundred orcs. They would be slaughtered where they stood if nothing happened and Allie couldn't help them from where she was.

The sound of the same horn that had being blown on echoed across the battle field and the orcs were confused about where it was coming from. Then they heard how the outer-wall of Erebor was being smashed onto the ground with a loud noise. This caused everyone to turn their heads to the mountain. For a moment or two nothing happened until nine dwarves ran out of the mountain.

Even from where she was standing Allie was able to recognize the figure on the front and her heart jolted at the sight. "It's my father," she said in complete astonishment. She had feared that she had already lost her father. Here he was charging with the last of the company towards Azog's army. He had succesfully snapped out of the Dragonsickness that had been tormenting him for a while. He and the company obviously wanted to fight together one last time, even if it would result into someone's dead.

"I cannot believe it's Thorin," Bilbo uttered next to her.

Dain and his men eagerly joined the charge. "They're rallying to the King," Gandalf said with a fond smile.

The dwarves had the element of surprise and it was enough to change the sides of this battle. All of the dwarves were giving this fight everything that they had. Everyone of them was willing to fight a final time for their King. Together they all were strong enough to surpress the forces of Azog, even when they were still outnumbered by them.

Allie blinked tears from her eyes at the sight and felt how Bilbo grabbed hold of her hand to squeeze it reassuringly. "I think they can win this," Bilbo said somewhat optimistically.

For a while the three of them watched the battle on the slopes unfold. Azog's army was retreating and the dwarves were definitely having the upper-hand. Still against everyone's amazement they were able to see how four dwarves rode on large battle-goats and headed away from the slopes.

"Why are Thorin, Fili, Kili and Dwalin leaving now?" Bilbo asked doubtfully.

Allie turned her head to see where they were heading towards. "They're going to Ravenhill."

"Ravenhill?" Bilbo repeated with a frown.

"They know that Azog is hiding out there like a coward. Thorin knows that the only way that this battle can be won is for Azog to die," Gandalf told them.

Allie wasn't too convinced about that plan. "What if Azog is luring them into a trap?" she asked. "He knows my father wants to fight him face to face so that he can end this."

"I don't know, Allie. They might be able to take Azog by surprise," Gandalf disagreed.

"Maybe we should warn Thorin and the others together," Bilbo cleverly suggested. "They have to know that Azog might be waiting for them with a large force of orcs. They could be slaughtered if we don't do anything."

"It would be very unwise if you two would go to Ravenhill together. I will not allow it," Gandalf said.

"We're not asking you to allow it, Gandalf. We have to do this," Bilbo made clear.

"You'll understand our choice in the end," Allie told him as Bilbo put on the ring and they disappeared in front of the wizard's disapproving eyes.


	51. Ravenhill

**Chapter 51: Ravenhill**

There was sharp chill in the air as Allie and Bilbo hurried up to the mountain side. It was cold and there was snow pretty much everywhere. It had frozen during the previous night which had causes the nearby lakes to completely freeze. Still there was no time for them to marvel at the sight because time was running low.

Allie could only admire Bilbo for what he was doing for her and the dwarves. He had grown incredibly fond of them during these months that he had got to know them. Bilbo was willing to risk everything to aid the dwarves one last time. Allie merely realized that she couldn't love Bilbo anymore than she already did.

Both of them were running as swiftly as they could because they didn't want to risk that they would arrive too late. That was why after only ten minutes of running they had made it to Ravenhill. Allie was catching her breath as Bilbo took off his ring which exposed the two of them.

"Allie!" Fili and Kili shouted in union when they saw their cousin standing there. The four dwarves were standing near a rather dilapidated watch tower. They ran towards her to pull her in for a warm hug.

"You were incredible out there, Allie," Kili said with a sheepish grin.

"You surely showed those orcs who is boss," Fili replied chuckling.

Allie pulled back. "You have no idea how glad I am to see that you two are alright."

Dwalin was next to hug Allie for a few moments. "Are you doing alright, Allie?" he asked her.

"I am. Thank you," she reassured him. She saw how Bilbo hugged the others dwarves as well.

Allie then realized that there was only one dwarf left who she hadn't hugged yet. She looked at her father as her throat tightened, wondering what she could possibly say to him after everything that had happened between them.

"Khagam, I -"

She was interrupted when Thorin wrapped his strong arms around her and in that moment she broke down into tears. It hit her like a brick how much she had missed it whenever her father would hug her. She took in his strong scent of his sweaty skin that she connected with her youth. Allie had truly feared that she would never feel his arms around her ever again and that she had lost him. No words could describe what Allie was currently feeling during this moment.

"Allie, I should be the one to apologize for all the pain that I've caused. I know that the Dragonsickness had a strong hold on me and that I had promised to you that I would fight it. Only I was a coward. I couldn't do it. I had no control over what I was doing anymore and was blinded by treasure which made me lose sight of the true treasure in my life, which is you, Allie," Thorin spoke from the bottom of his heart. "I snapped out it eventually because your words at the gate made me think. I wanted to fight one last time for everyone that I care about and I want you to be proud of me."

"I've always been proud of you, Khagam," Allie admitted as she pulled back a little so that she could look him in the eyes. "I am beyond happy that you snapped out of it and that you're here with me now. I want to fight with you too. There is no need for you to proof yourself."

Thorin rested his forehead against hers and smiled warmly. "I love you, Gemez."

Allie made that moment last longer for a few moments. "I love you too and I always will."

"Not be a pain in the butt, but why did you and Bilbo come here?" Dwalin asked with a frown.

"There is something we've been meaning to tell you," Bilbo began. "We think that Azog knows that you intend to face him on your own. He might have set a trap to lure you in."

"I doubt that Azog is smart enough to know we're coming," Fili disagreed.

"Exactly we still have a good chance to surprise him," Kili added.

"This might be our only chance of facing Azog so that we can end it once and for all," Thorin said heavyhearted. "It's worth the risk."

Allie licked her lips. She hadn't thought that they were actually thinking of still facing Azog after their warning. Allie wanted nothing more than to talk reason into them.

"Azog doesn't know that there are six of us," Fili said.

"I still think this watch tower here is a trap," Bilbo cautiously replied. "Azog might not be waiting for you there, but he could be letting someone else do his dirty work for him."

"We should split up," Dwalin suggested. He had spent the largest part of his life as a soldier and a close confediant of Thorin. He definitely had the experience when it came to coming up with strategies.

"Is this really the wisest thing to do?" Allie doubtfully asked.

Thorin placed a hand on her shoulder. "If we don't take care of Azog now we've lost the battle. That piece of filth deserves to die for everything that he has done."

"Of course he deserves to die," Allie said. "Still I don't think it's a good idea that the six of us go out there without knowing what's inside. For all we know Azog has a whole delegation of orcs waiting for us."

Kili let out a deep breath. "We have no other choice, Allie. Azog has killed so many of our own."

"I think Kili, uncle Thorin and I should be one group," Fili suggested. "We will sneak up to the watch tower from the south while the others will try and get them from the west."

It was very unsettling to witness them all coming up this plan together. She wasn't sure if she would see them all again and she hated feeling this way.

Thorin placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "We have to do this. It will be alright in the end, Gemez," he tried to reassure her. "Then we'll all laugh about it together."

"I can only hope it will be like that, Khagam," Allie replied hesitantly. "Something about this just doesn't sit right with me."

"Just hold on for me, Allie." With that her father went towards the south with Fili and Kili right behind him. Allie watched them for a moment until they were out of sight and then followed Bilbo and Dwalin in the opposite direction.

The three of them all had their weapons drawn as they carefully made their way towards the watch tower. Dwalin's boots were the only ones who made a soft noise in the snow. It wouldn't be enough to alert any spying orcs.

The watch tower wasn't that far away and Allie could only approach it with a heavy heart. It bugged her enormously that this place was so eerie quiet. It was almost as if something was waiting for them in the shadows.

Inside the watch tower there was no sight of another living thing. Allie's breath hitched when she saw that there were lots of footprints in the snow. It had indicated that at least ten different orcs had been here and that the prints were fresh. There were also prints that belonged to smaller feet. All the footprints leaded outside the watchtower in the other direction.

"I take it Azog is chasing the others now," Bilbo gravely said.

"We don't know that yet," Allie said, trying to remain hopeful.

Dwalin took a step forwards. "Those other prints look like they belong to dwarves. They seem to be the same size as my own feet."

"That means that my father, Fili and Kili are out there on their own against who knows how many orcs," Allie grimly responded, swallowing that lump from her throat. "We have to get there before it's too late."

They were interrupted when they heard something growling and they all turned their head. There on the other side of the centre stood a foul looking orc. He was tall and had broad shoulders. It was clear that this orc had some high rank in Azog's army.

"I take it Azog is not brave enough to face us himself," Bilbo said breathlessly, tightening his grip on Sting.

"It's a decoy," Dwalin said. "He sent this orc to keep us here while he is fighting the others. Azog just needs us to stay here for as long as possible so we cannot interfere with his mission which is to end the line of Durin."

Allie kept her gaze fixed upon the orc as she tried to remember if she had heard about him. Her lips parted when she thought of something. "Balin once told me that Azog has a son," Allie replied slowly. "No one hardly mentions him. All that they know is that his name is Bolg."

That left the three of them alone with a vengeful orc.


	52. The final battle

**Chapter 52: The final battle**

Bolg clearly came here with the intention to take down whoever would oppose his father's plans. He was carrying a thick, broad sword and apparently he knew how to wield it properly. He was anything but a novice with a weapon it seemed.

The orc charged at them and Dwalin was the one who blocked his first blow. Bolg was bigger than any average orc and he had a lot more strength in his arms. Fortunately Dwalin was rather strong as well and showed the orc no weakness.

Even Bilbo knew how to successfully avoid Bolg's blows. He was much faster than the orc which he used to his own advantage, making it almost impossible for Bolg to reach him. Allie watched how Bilbo was fighting as he had been born with a sword in his hands. He had really paid attention to all the lessons that she had been giving him. Bilbo was using everything that he had to make it difficult for Bolg.

Allie was somewhat surprised when Bolg turned his attention to her, but she ducked underneath his sword with ease. Only Bolg was strong and he separated her from the rest. With every blow he delivered he grunted. It was clear that Bolg wouldn't stop until he gotten rid of all of them.

He had managed to press her against the ground so that she was lying on her back. Allie tried to push the orc back with whatever strength she had left inside of her. Even from where she lay on the ground she could smell the foul scent of decay that came from Bolg's skin which caused her stomach to do flips.

She let out a yelp when she saw how a sword pierced Bolg through his lower abdomen and the orc let out a deep grunt in agonizing pain. Bilbo stood next to him. "I wouldn't touch my fiance if I were you," he threatened him venomously.

Bilbo retreated Sting. Bolg was obliviously angered and wanted revenge for getting stabbed so he quickly turned around only to be greeted by Dwalin instead. While they fought Bilbo rushed to Allie.

"Are you alright, Allie?" he asked concerned as he cupped her cheeks to see any insuries anywhere. "Did he hurt you?"

"Yes, I am thanks to you," Allie reassured him as she kissed his cheek. Bilbo helped her onto her feet. "I'm not your fiance though. You haven't officially proposed to me yet."

"I will eventually," he promised her. He would've liked to talk more with her about this but this wasn't the perfect time for this. They had urgent matters that they needed to deal with.

Dwalin was still fighting Bolg, but he was having the upper-hand. She felt how Bilbo clutched onto her arm as they watched how Dwalin aggressively swung with his axes and decapitated the orc with a clean cut. His head rolled to against Allie's feet and she only have it give it a good kick so that it rolled out of sight.

"That was a rather good swing with those axes of yours," Allie complimented him.

"Didn't you teach me that move?" Dwalin asked her as picked up one of his axes.

"I would love to take credit for something, but I didn't do it, Dwalin. This was all you."

"We have to follow this trail," Bilbo insisted. "I don't think Azog is brave enough to face the others on his own."

The three of them hurried out of the ruins of the watch tower. As they got outside Allie realized that it had gotten much colder and it was snowing lightly which made it harder for them to see where they were going. Bilbo was running at the front as he studied the footprints.

Because it was snowing the footprints had almost faded and they weren't exactly sure where to go to next. It was then that they heard someone screaming, and the pain in the scream was clearly hearable.

"That's Kili," Allie said in horror as she ran in the direction where she had heard the scream come from. They had made it to a gigantic lake that was completely frozen. Azog was accompanied by at least ten other orcs as they fought with Thorin and Fili. As Bilbo and Dwalin went to aid the the dwarves Allie went to the side of the lake where her cousin was lying by himself.

She knelt down next to him as she went to examine him for any wounds or injuries that he had gained. "Kili, where are you hurt?" she asked him frantically. It was hard to see any blood coming through the armour that he was wearing.

"Stabbed in my stomach," Kili replied in agonizing pain. It cost him effort to speak properly.

Allie brought her hand to Killi's abdomen and flinched somewhat when her entire hand was covered in his younger cousin's blood. The sword that had been used to stab him had pierced his skin as if it was nothing. Allie was not a physician, but she wasn't stupid. There was no way that this wound could get magically healed.

"Kili, you're bleeding profoundly," she said gravely.

Kili let out a dry laugh through his pain. "I already figured that."

Allie didn't expect Kili's light reaction about his approaching dead. "I'm going to stay with you, Kili," she said instead. She refused to let him endure this on his own.

Her cousin was in agonizing pain and she couldn't help him simply because she the wound was too severe. All she could do was hold Kili upright so that he wasn't putting any unnecessary pressure onto his wound. She wanted to make his last moments in this world somewhat bearable.

She turned her head to see that the battle was still ongoing. Dwalin and Bilbo had taken care of most of the other orcs. Thorin was facing Azog one on one while Fili was struggling with another orc. He made a mistake with his feet which allowed the orc to hit him in the head. Fili fell backwards onto the ice not that far from where Allie was sitting and remained motionless.

If Allie wasn't stabilizing Kili in her arms she would've ran to Fili herself, but Bilbo was there almost immediately. The burglar wasn't a phsycian either but he did whatever he could do to check up on Fili. Despite the heavy snow Allie could see the grave look on Bilbo's face as he turned his head towards her.

Tears spilled from her eyes as she clutched Kili closer against her. Fili was dead and it was only a matter of second until Kili would follow as well. That was something she wanted to prevent at all cost, but she was powerless.

The world was a cruel place. Both her cousins had been in the prime of their lives and they still had so much to live for. They had always been rascals throughout their lives and they had often gotten into troubles. Still they had always been together. It was hardly impossible to ever see one without the other.

Fili had always acted like a proper good brother to Kili, and especially after their father had died during a battle. He had been a great rolemodel for his younger brother and had protected him from harm whenever he could and Kili had looked up to him. Allie knew that their mother Dís would be absolutely heartbroken when she would receive the news about her sons. She was such a devoted mother to them and everyone knew that Kili and Fili had loved their mother unconditionally.

Fili and Kili had been destined for greater things and hadn't deserved to die on a battlefield as if they had been worth nothing. Fili was meant to be King of Erebor after her father had resigned. Allie had always loved them because they were her kin and had shared so many wonderful memories with them. She knew that she would cherish their memories for the rest of her own life.

"Allie, I think it's time," Kili said with a very faint voice. He was shivering uncontrollably in her arms.

Allie wanted nothing more than to disagree with Kili, but she knew better than that. That didn't mean that she wanted to lose Kili like she had just lost Fili already. They were her kin after all and they had meant an awful lot to her. She couldn't phantom that she was never going to see their faces again or would hear their laughter whenever they had played an innocent prank on someone.

"I know it is," Allie sadly responded as her voice cracked. She placed a loving kiss on the top of his head. "You've been nothing but amazing, Kili. Know that I've always you and your brother's friendship. You can go now."

Kili's movements lessened as he continued to struggle with breathing. He brought up his bloody hand to touch her face one final time. Allie felt her heart breaking into a thousand tiny pieces as she saw how Kili gotten incredibly silent and his eyes stood still.

Fili and Kili had died protecting their uncle.

It had stopped snowing altogether. Thorin was still aggressively swinging with Orcrist at Azog who didn't show any sign of exhaustion yet while her father was sweating profoundly. Dwalin had taken a few steps to the side because this was the final battle that would end it once and for all.

Allie was extremely desperate and anxious as she continued to cradle Kili in her arms. Azog was a trained warrior and taller and bigger than her father was. Despite his small size and posture Thorin was filled with a century old rage that forced him to keep going. He wouldn't rest until he had succeeded in ending this on his own.

Thorin's blows were strong and consistent. He used his speed to his advantage and was eventually able to force Azog onto his knees in front of him and had pressed Orcrist against the tip of his throat.

"For a hundred years I wanted nothing more than to kill the orc who had caused so much destruction and who has killed so many of my own and even my grandfather. Of course I was driven by vengance. I want to be the last face you'll see on this earth before you finally die by my hand," Thorin said with a clenched jaw as he spat blood on the ice. He wasn't sure if Azog was able to hear him, but he wanted to tell him what had been haunting him for a century. "This ends now and I'll make sure that you'll never take another life again."

With a sharp swing of Orcrist Thorin was able to easily decapitate the Defiller and had caused his head to roll down the slopes. Thorin continued to stand there as it slowly began to dawn on him what had just happened.

Allie wanted nothing more than to rush over to her father, but she couldn't move because of Kili's body in her arms. She watched with a heavy heart as Thorin clutched his abdomen and then fell onto the ground. Apparently he had gotten injured himself during his battle.

" _Aule_ , not an another one," Allie whispered in agonizing fear. She couldn't lose anyone else.


	53. Saying goodbye

**Chapter 53: Saying goodbye**

With every step that Allie took towards where her father was lying on the ice she prayed to Aule that she was still there on time. She was already irrational and heartbroken because she had just lost two of her close kin and there was a posibility that she might lose someone who she valued more than anyone. That was something that couldn't happen.

She knelt down next to her father as she wrapped her arms around him so that Thorin was sitting up against her chest. There was blood welling through Thorin's armour and he was groaning uncontrollably in agony. This was an absolutely grievous situation.

Bilbo and Dwalin stood behind her as they observed them closely.

"We have to get him of the mountain," Allie suggested drastically. "That way we might make it to Oin in time so that he can treat your wound."

"There is no way that can work out, Allie," Dwalin replied grimly. "We don't even know if Oin is still alive. Also we cannot move your father. It will only cause his blood to spill swifter."

"There must be something else that we can do," Allie insisted distraught. "I cannot give up on him."

"A-Allie," Thorin said with a weak voice, but she could hear him clearly. "There is nothing else that can be done for me and that's alright."

Allie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I cannot give up on you," she made clear. "You're not going to die, Khagam."

"That's not your choice to make, Allie. I've succeeded in what I originally set out to do. I've killed Azog and I've protected the rest of my people. I can finally redeem myself now. You have to understand that."

Of course she knew that her father would finally have the peace that he had been desperately looking for. Still that didn't soften her pain in the slightest."I don't want to understand it," Allie muttered in dismay as her throat tightened and tears spilled from her eyes.

Thorin turned his head to Dwalin was equally tearing up. The two of them quietly converted together as Dwalin placed a comforting hand on Thorin's shoulder. Dwalin had always been there at Thorin's side and had joined him in countless battles throughout his life. He had always seen Thorin as his closest friend and had provided him with plenty of council. Of course their parting was paining him beyond belief.

"Bilbo," Thorin then said which earned the Halfling's attention. He too had tears in his eyes as he looked at the dying dwarf in Allie's arms who had showed him so many beautiful things. "I know we started off at a wrong start. I want to apologize for my actions back at the gate. It was cowardly done. During this time that I've gotten to know I've seen you as a close friend."

Bilbo leaned a bit closer. "You've been a true friend to me too, Thorin. I cannot thank you enough for everything that you've done for me." His voice cracked a little.

"I want to ask you to look after my Allie because I no longer can," Thorin explained. He was struggling more to breathe as he spoke. "Take her back to the Shire with you and make her your wife. Read her stories and plant flowers with her in your garden. Give her the life that she desperately deserves and be happy together, Bilbo. That's all that I'm asking for you."

Thorin's words had a visible effect on Bilbo who smiled faintly at the dwarf. "You have my word, Thorin. I will not let you down," he promised him..

"A-Allie," Thorin began, his voice getting fainter.

"Don't you dare, Khagam," she warned him in denial as she kissed his forehead. She didn't want to hear him to say good bye to her, but there was nothing else she could do besides pulling him closer against her.

"I understand that this is hurting you, Allie. You've lost so many people. Still you have to accept that this is going to happen -"

"I cannot possibly accept this," Allie cut him off. She couldn't control her emotions as she was sobbing uncontrollably. "You mean far too much to lose. You've shown me nothing but kindness and love. After my mother died you've always been there for me. You've been the best father that anyone could ever ask can I possibly live without you?"

"All in good time," Thorin assured her. It was clear to Allie, Bilbo and Dwalin that he was losing more of his strength and it wasn't long until he finally pass away. He was simply struggling to stay alive so that he could say farewell to them. "I'm going to be reunited with your mother again in the halls of Mandos, Allie. It's been so long since I've last seen her. There will come a day when you will be joining us and we will be waiting many long years until that day arrives. You have to live your life first, Allie. You have every right to be happy."

Allie let out another sob at her father's words. "I cannot believe that this is happening, Khagam. I've always loved you and I always will," she told him.

"And I you, Gemez," he whispered in Khuzdull.

Allie watched closely as her father went heavy in her arms and his body went limp. His eyes rolled away a she let out a final breath that sounded more like a soft grunt. Allie didn't need to be a physician to know that her father had just died in her arms.

She became unconsolable as she wrapped her arms tighter around her father and sobbed hysterically. It truly felt as if someone had ripped her heart out of her chest and was stabbing it repeatedly. The intense and raw pain that she was feeling was nothing compared to what she had ever felt before.

"Look!" Bilbo shouted which earned everyone's attention. The Halfling was pointing enthusiastically at the sky and they followed his finger only to see an enormous flock of eagles coming their way. "The eagles are coming!"

The eagles headed towards the battle field and took care of the remaining orcs and goblins that were still out there. The rest of Azog's army had fled back to Gundabad.

"The battle is over," Dwalin said in bewilderment.

"Erebor is safe," Bilbo said astoundedly.

Allie wasn't paying attention to what was being said and was too focused on her own grief. She had truly lost everything that she had in her life and it felt as if she was completely alone to deal with all this. Bilbo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder to comfort her during this dire time, but she didn't respond to it.

She was so lost in her own pain that she had no idea how much time had actually past since this had happened and she couldn't care less about it.

"Allie, it's time," Bilbo eventually said to her.

She was about to ask him what he meant with that and turned her head only to see that the remained of the company had made it up to Ravenhill. They had placed Kili and Fili's body next to each other while most of the dwarves were knelt next to them to pay respect.

"You have to let him go, lass," Balin said with a gentle voice. He obviously didn't want to hurt Allie even more.

Her bloodshot eyes turned to him. "I can't do that, Balin. I just can't. I'm the last Durin and I have nothing left," she said with a trembling voice.

Bilbo gently lifted her onto her feet and tightly wrapped his arms around her so that she could sob into his shoulder. This was the only kind of comfort that he could provide her and she seemed to appreciate his kind gesture. Of course Bilbo was hurting by what had happened, but Allie had lost her entire kin in one day. It was to be expected that she was heartbroken about that and he was glad that she wanted to cry in his arms.

"Allie, I hate to be the one to tell you this especially after everything that you've just endured," Balin began cautiously. It was enough for Allie to turn her head back so that she could look him in the eye. "Everyone here knows that you've resigned your rights to the throne of Erebor. Only there is no heir left or anyone else that is suited for the throne. I wish that it was different, but you are to be Erebor its Queen."


	54. Coronation

**Chapter 54:** **Coronation**

The woman that looked back at Allie in the mirror was someone who she didn't recognize. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair had lost all of its shine. Her blue eyes usually sparkled with mirth now only showed the constant grief that she was experiencing. She had completely changed from that radiant woman that she used to be.

It had been three days since the Battle of the Five Armies, as it was being called, had officially ended. Almost immediately arrangements were being made for a funeral for Thorin, Fili and Kili somewhere deep in the tombes in the mountain. Allie's coronation to become Queen of Erebor was supposed to occur once the ceremony had ended which was a fearful thought.

Allie had shunned away from everyone else and had locked herself inside the chambers that she had been staying in. She had hardly uttered a word to anyone since this all had happened. All that Allie needed was to be alone without any of these interfering dwarves so that she could probably grief the loss of her kin by herself without being disturbed by someone.

Allie didn't want to think about becoming Queen in less than an hour. She had resigned her rights to the throne after all and now it had turned out that she couldn't escape that inevitable fate. It had drastically changed everything in her life because she was supposed to be leaving the Shire with Bilbo.

Bilbo. At the thought of the endearing Halfling her heart ached even more. She hadn't spoken to him at all since the battle and she had assumed that Bilbo needed some privacy to grief on his own and would come for her whenever he was ready for it. Allie could only hope that would be soon because she secretly desired his presence and perhaps they could comfort each other.

There came three knocks on the door which disturbed Allie's thoughts and she knew that it was time. "Allie, are you ready?" she heard Bofur ask.

Allie went to open the door and saw how Bofur gave her a solemn look as he took in what she was wearing. She had chosen to put on a dark blue dress that was a sleeveless lace with top ruffles and a long royal blue skirt that had belonged to her great-aunt which was why it wasn't fitting her figure properly. Allie couldn't care less about what she was wearing for this event because she had been dreading this moment for days. She had to say farewell to her family after all.

"I wish I didn't have to," Allie admitted as she stepped out of the room.

"We all understand that, Allie. I'm nothing but sorry about what you all have to endure these days," Bofur replied as he hooked his arms through hers so that they could walk away. "It's been nothing but cruel."

"There's nothing that you or anyone else can do about it, Bofur," she said.

Allie dreaded every step that she had to take as they got closer. It wasn't that they were walking fast, but they had made it to their destination within a matter of minutes. As Allie stepped inside the large tombs her breath haltered. There were many dwarves from Dain's army present there. The remainder of the company also had gathered there and stood alongside Gandalf and Radagast. Even Thranduil was there with Tauriel and Yldris.

Allie couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with any of them because she knew that she would burst into tears if she would. Instead she kept her gaze focused on the three daises that stood in the centre of the tombes. Her father's body was placed in the middle with Fili and Kili at his sides in a sort of circle.

Bofur let go off her as Allie approached the dais where Kili was resting on. He was wearing some armor that he had found inside the mountain only a couple of weeks ago. He looked as if was about to wake up at any second now, but Allie knew better than that. She got closer and placed her hand on his shoulder as the first tears spilled from her eyes.

Kili had always been rambunctious one of the Durin's. Everyone back at the Blue Mountains had known him like that. Allie had often wondered what Kili's life could've looked like once Fili had been crowned King of Erebor. Surely he would be a close council to his brother.

Allie placed a gentle kiss on her cousin's forehead to officially say good bye to him. She turned around to Fili's dais and felt a sharp pain in her chest. Not too long ago she had had a good conversation with her cousin about his future as a King. She had never envisioned that he would be dead before that day had arrived. Fili would've made a much better ruler of Erebor that the people would absolutely adore. He would surely put everyone's needs first as he had always done.

Allie thought of their mother Dís and how often she had warned her sons to be careful. Dís had even made them promise that they would be reunited again once they had safely made it to Erebor. Dís would never see her sons grow old or get to hold them in her arms again. That was a cruel thing to think about.

Kili and Fili had died trying to reclaim the home of their kin before they were ever able to call this place a home themselves. Allie lay a kiss against Fili's forehead and held his hand for a moment or two as her throat tightened. She was stalling because she didn't want to say goodbye to her father next. She wasn't ready to never see him again.

Allie couldn't avoid the inevitable and slowly turned to the dais in the centre where her father was resting on. The last time Allie had been at a funeral had been that of her late mother and Thorin had been the one who had to comfort her. He had arms wrapped around her and she had appreciated it enormously. This time he couldn't comfort her. She grabbed his hand as she sobbed hysterically and didn't care that everyone could see her. She had lost her kin after all and she had every right to properly say goodbye to her late kin and to mourn their losses.

"I don't know how to live without you, Khagam," she whispered in Khuzdul. Thorin was also wearing some armor that he had never before worn in battle. The Arkenstone was placed on his chest and he was holding Orcrist on his centre. There were some scars on his face which he had gained during his fight with Azog. "Please, wake up and tell me that this is all a bad dream and that everything is going to be fine. I'm aching so much inside. I don't know if I can do this."

There was no respond which caused Allie to let out even more sobs. She was never going to feel her father's strong arms around her anymore or his kisses when he tried to tell her that she was loved. Allie wasn't sure if she could go one day without that.

Allie didn't want to say good bye because then it would really be over. She wanted to prolong this moment as long as she could because then she could still touch her father he even though his body felt cold under her touch. Only Allie wasn't foolish enough to stay here the whole day. She had to say it.

More tears escaped from her eyes. "I'm not lying when I say that I don't want to say farewell to you, but I have to do it, Khagam. I hope that you're finally with my mother again. You've been nothing but a wonderful father to me and I'm thankful for that. There will not be a day that I will not think of you. I love you and I'm going to miss you. We will see each other again."

She oh so slowly placed a kiss on his forehead and made it last. Allie squeezed his hand one last time before she stepped aside so that the rest could say finally farewell. Allie had her back turned towards them so that she wouldn't have to witness their personal moments, but she knew that everyone was struggling and that many tears were being shed. Everyone in the company had had a rather close bond with Thorin, Fili and Kili after all.

After a while Alllie turned her head when everyone finished saying their farewells. It was a custom for dwarves to sing an eulogy whenever a dwarf had fallen and that was why Allie wanted to do it this time. She wasn't someone who had a rather good singing voice, but she wanted to pay her last respects by singing one last time.

 **"** **A king he was on carven throne**

 **In many-pillared halls of stone**

 **With golden roof and silver floor**

 **And runes of power upon the door**

 **The light of sun and star and moon**

 **In shining lamps of crystal hewn**

 **Undimmed by cloud or shade of night**

 **There shone for ever fair and bright**

 **The world is grey, the mountains old**

 **The forge's fire is ashen-cold**

 **No harp is wrung, no hammer falls**

 **The darkness dwells in Durin's halls**

 **The shadow lies upon his tomb**

 **In Moria, in Khazad-dûm**

 **But still the sunken stars appear**

 **In dark and windless Mirrormere**

 **There lies his crown in water deep**

 **Till Durin wakes again from sleep."**

Once she was finished she saw that her singing had brought some tears into the eyes of most of the people that were present at the tombes. Allie knew what was to happen next as Balin approached her with a solemn expression on his face. He obviously wanted to spare Allie from this moment, but he knew that he couldn't do it. He had no power to change anything about this.

"I'm truly sorry, Allie," he said quietly to her and she could only give him a faint smile because this wasn't his fault at all. "The King is dead!" Balin bellowed louder so that everyone could hear him. The dwarves all grabbed their weapons to brandish those in the air as a form of respect for their leader and friends.

He looked at Allie who knelt down on the ground in front of him and closed her eyes in the hope that she could escape her destiny, but she couldn't prevent it from happening.

"Allie Fairchild, do you solely swear to protect your people and leader that your people can look up to," Balin asked her.

Allie swallowed loudly. "I solemnly swear to do so." That was it. She had sealed her fate entirely and she couldn't go back on it anymore.

Balin brought out a silver crown that had once belonged to her great-grandmother when she had still been a Queen. It was a simple looking crown, but it was still endorsed with tiny sparkling jewels all over. "I pronounce you Queen of Erebor!" Balin said firmly as he lowered the crown on her head and Allie could feel the the weight of responsibilities that came with it. "Long live the Queen!"

Everyone at the tombs rose their swords once more to show respect for their new leader as they joined in the chime alongside with Balin. Allie Fairchild was officially Queen Under the Mountain and of Erebor.


	55. Making plans

**Chapter 55: Making plans**

More than three weeks had elapsed since Allie Fairchild had been crowned Queen of Erebor. The restoration of Erebor had begun and the dwarves had been busy with fixing everything that Smaug had destroyed during his sixty year long stay here. The dwarves wanted to move on with their lives and were putting everything back into place.

Allie had mostly been busy with her responsibilities that came with being a sovereign. She had entrusted Balin, Dwalin and Bofur to aid her with counseling so that she wouldn't have to do this all on her own because Allie knew nothing about being a proper leader to her people.

Many long days had been spent inside the council chambers where terms of a possible alliance with Dale and Mirkwood were being discussed. Thranduil and Bard had been present for all of these meetings so that they could talk about a possible outcome that could benefit all of them.

"I want to restore a trading agreement with Dale and Mirkwood," Allie said late one afternoon inside the council chamber. "For many centuries there has been a strong trading agreement with our three kingdoms and things went well for all of us. We all provided the other with what they required."

Allie didn't just want to restore Erebor on the inside, but also wanted to built a good future for her people with many prospects.

"I know what it's like to not want the responsibilities as leader," Bard began. He was being accompanied by his close friend Percy. "Still I have to admit that you're making fine choices for someone who never wanted to be Queen. I never wanted to be King of Dale myself, but here were are."

"Then you understand better than anyone what I am going through," Allie said as she folded her hands together. "We both want what is best for our people. I'm doing whatever my father would've wanted and that's why we're going to help Dale with the restoration."

"And he would be very proud of you, Allie," Bofur told her.

"What do you expect to trade with Dale and Mirkwood then?" Dwalin asked her curiously

Allie licked her lips. "I was thinking that once that Erebor is being restored to its former glory and the forges are lit again that we can ask our blacksmiths to craft armor that will be suited for elves and men as well."

"That has never been done before," Balin told her. "We've only ever created armor for dwarves."

"Then I guess that it's a good time to change that tradition. Dwarven armor is thicker than any other armor and it will surely give the others an advantage and a better protection during battle," Allie explained thoughtfully.

"You want us to fight in armor made by dwarves?" Thranduil asked skeptically. The elven King was being accompanied by Tauriel and Yldris.

"You don't to," Dwalin made clear. "Allie is right when she says that the armor us dwarves craft are a lot thicker than other armor. It can only be used to your advantage."

"Perhaps," Allie began which earned everyone's attention. "It is possible to sent miners deep inside the mountain once the dwarves from Ered Luin have arrived here. There might be a chance that there is still mithril to be found."

"I've heard many things about mithril," Thranduil responded with interest.

Bofur frowned. "You want to share mithril with other kingdoms?" he asked hesitantly. "That might not be a wise choice to make."

"I don't see why not," Allie said with a shrug. "If we are to form an alliance then we can share mithril with others to create an even stronger force."

"It's not a bad idea," Balin agreed. "Still we don't know if there is any mithril left inside the mountain. For all we know Smaug has gotten rid of all of it."

"That's why we should try and sent out miners to that they can possibly harvest the ore," Allie replied wisely.

"I think Allie is giving us nothing but a fair proposition," Bard said. "Even if you can't find mithril I think we all will benefit from dwarven craftsmanship. If Dale is being restored I want to join this trading arrangement to trade wine for it in return."

Thranduil folded his hands together. "I agree with Bard here. We will join this trading arrangement with certain food and herb," he suggested.

Allie tilted her head. "And what about an alliance between Dale, Mirkwood and Erebor?" she questioned them. "Let's be honest we all know that the three kingdoms are stronger together against potential threats."

"It's been quite some time since an alliance between elves and dwarves has been formed," Thranduil pointed out with a smirk. "Not since the Dark Days."

"You and I both have the power to change that," Allie said. "You know well enough that it will be better for both of us if we combine our powers. No one is a loser in that situation."

She saw Bofur, Balin and Dwalin give her a proud look. Allie had truly made an impressive progress as a Queen in those three short weeks since her coronation.

"I like you, Allie Fairchild," Thranduil told her fondly. "I had never expect that I would be saying this but I will accept your offer about an alliance. Mirkwood will join forces with Dale and Erebor."

"You surely are a fine Queen," Bard added with a chuckle. "Dale is more than honoured to join your alliance."

Allie could only flash the two Kings a wide grin at their answer. She had single-handedly formed an alliance with nearby kingdoms that would profit the sake of her people.

"Well, who would've guessed that would happen," Dwalin muttered in awe.

"Still to make all of this official I need you to sign this contract," Balin told them as he placed a piece of parchment and a quill on the large table. He handed it to Thranduil first.

"You sure are a wonder, lass," Bofur told her in amazement. "You never seize to surprise me."

Once it was Allie's turn to sign the paper she read it first.

 _I, Allie Fairchild, Queen of Erebor hereby agree upon an alliance between the kingdoms of Dale and Mirkwood that will benefit and protect my people._

She slowly scrabbled her signature on the bottom of the page. Being Queen surely was a difficult thing.


	56. Making choices

**Chapter 56: Making choices**

 _Bilbo P.O.V._

Bilbo Baggins couldn't remember exactly when he had last had a conversation with anyone. The Halfling had somewhat turned into a recluse after everything that had happened. He had shunned away from the rest of the company and had spent many days on the outskirt of the mountain where he had a perfect view of the valley and Ravenhill. He was convinced that no one knew where he was exactly and Bilbo preferred it that way.

It wasn't that Bilbo was being rude and avoiding everyone else on purpose. There were so many different things on Bilbo's mind and he needed to think about these things on his own. Bilbo was supposed to have left Erebor already and he was still here because things had turned out differently than what had been the original plan.

Surely he was still grieving the loss of Thorin, Fili and Kili. He had grown rather close with the three of them and they were supposed to officially be his kin if he had married Allie.

 _Oh Allie._

Just the thought of the woman he had been planning to leave the Shire with was enough to bring tears back to his eyes. He hadn't spoken to her at all ever since she had been crowned Queen those three weeks ago. He hadn't even visited her because he was convinced that Allie had more important things on her mind than an ordinary Halfling.

He wanted nothing more than to leave Erebor with Allie at his side, but he knew that wouldn't happen anymore. Allie's future had taken another turn and there no longer was a part for Bilbo in her life. Bilbo was having some difficulty with accepting that, but he was doing his best.

Bilbo knew that there was only one thing that he could do that could lessen his pain a little and that was him to officially leave Erebor without Allie so that he would never have to look her in the eyes anymore. Honestly the last thing that he wanted was to be removed from Allie, but it was hurting him too much to be this close to Allie when he couldn't be with her anymore. Perhaps that would soften his aching somewhat so that he could finally move on from Allie. Only Bilbo knew that would be a pointless cause. How on earth do you move on from someone as beautiful and magnetic as Allie Fairchild, Queen of Erebor? You simply can't. He had to find Gandalf in the hope that wizard would be able to accompany him on the journey homewards.

"You look terrible," a voice said.

Bilbo spun around in horror because he hadn't heard someone talking to him in about three weeks and was surprised to see Bombur standing there with crossed arms. Bilbo hadn't been paying any attention to his personal hygiene and his hair reassembled a terrible tangled mess. There were layers of dirt stuck underneath his fingernails and there was even a layer of dirt glued onto his skin which wasn't strange since he had been sleeping outside for weeks.

"I don't really care," Bilbo replied indifferently. His voice sounding strange after having not used it for so long.

Bombur gave him a thoughtful look. "We've all known that you've been hiding here so that you don't have to talk to anyone. It's obvious that you're grieving in your own way, Bilbo. You do not have to deal with all of this on your own."

"I'm planning to leave Erebor soon," Bilbo said instead. "Bombur, I can't stay here any longer."

Bombur narrowed his eyes. "You should properly talk with someone about that, Bilbo," he told him. "Don't make any hasty decisions."

Bilbo said nothing more and began to walk away on his own so that he didn't have to talk more about this matter. He knew that it was cowardly behaviour that he was displaying but he simply didn't know what else to do. All he knew was how to flee.

He wasn't sure where he was going but he let his feet lead him the way and he ended up back inside the mountain. By now he knew his way around these halls better than when he had first arrived here, but it was still incredibly easy for him to lose his way.

"Bilbo," he heard Gandalf call his name as he unknowingly passed the wizard. He stopped in his tracks to face him with a heavy heart. He had gotten to know the wizard pretty well and was convinced that Gandalf was going to ask him personal questions which he wasn't really looking forward to. "You have been avoiding everyone."

Bilbo licked his lips. "I know I have been."

Gandalf placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have to talk about what happened, Bilbo, and especially about Allie. You cannot keep avoiding everyone forever."

The mention of Allie stung him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You cannot keep this all bottled up inside of you. The plan was for you to leave for the Shire with Allie at your side so that the two of you could grow old together. You had been talking about that for months and you even intended to marry Allie. You love her, Bilbo."

"Clearly plans change, Gandalf," Bilbo told him. "Allie has more important things to focus on than to be with a Halfling. She's a Queen now and she's darn good at it and her people need her more than she needs me."

"That's ridiculous, Bilbo."

Bilbo pressed his lips into a thin line. "I can't stay here, Gandalf. I want to go home. Knowing that I can never have Allie anymore hurts too much and I need to get away from that. I cannot breathe in a place like that which me constantly reminds what I can no longer have."

There was a somber expression on Gandalf's face. "If you are ready to return home then I am more than welcome to escort you back to the Shire within two days. Only if you talk to Allie first. You have to know what her opinion is about this matter. You have to talk to Allie before you make a decision you're going to regret for the rest of your life."

The last thing that Bilbo wanted was for Allie to rub into his face that he could never have her. He remained silent and nodded before he walked away so that she wizard couldn't ask him anymore questions. He wandered deeper inside the mountain, still somewhat shaken from his conversation with Gandalf.

"Are you Bilbo Baggins?" another voice asked.

Bilbo cursed because the universe refused to leave him alone. He turned his head to see an elven maiden with long auburn hair approach him. She was wearing a forest green tunic and he could see the daggers that she had hidden in her scabbards. He knew that she was an elf from Mirkwood since Thranduil delegation of elves was still a guest at Erebor.

"Yes," Bilbo replied unsure.

"My name is Tauriel," she introduced herself. Bilbo had heard mentions of the captain of the Mirkwood from Allie but he had never met her before until now. He could already picture where this conversation was gonna go and he didn't like it one bit. "I know that this is our first time meeting each other, and I had hoped that we would meet each other another way. Still I need to talk to you. I am a close friend of Allie and I truly value her friendship. She is absolutely devastated that you haven't been visiting her at all. She has been waiting for you."

"I am certain that Allie doesn't want to see me," Bilbo said cautiously. "She is a Queen after all."

Tauriel frowned. "Listen to me. When you and the dwarves had escaped from Mirkwood in barrels and I had accompanied Allie to the borders. She had told me about how much she loved someone and how happy that he was making her. From that I could tell that she was talking about the love of her life. She and only opened up about who you were and your shared plans for the future a few days ago because it was tearing her apart that you weren't paying attention to her anymore. It's clear to me that from how you're looking right now that you still love her as well. You want to marry her."

"Allie and I cannot be," Bilbo made clear and it pained him to having to say that. Tauriel could see the tears in his eyes. "She's a sodding Queen and her people need her. Allie would never abandon people that need her. She is too selfless for that. She is an amazing Queen that everyone completely adores and she cannot give up on that. That is why I intent to leave Erebor within two days with Gandalf and I'll be heading to the Shire. I cannot stay here any longer."

"You're going to leave?" Tauriel repeated in disbelieve. "And what about Allie? Have you even considered about what she wants? You'll break her heart if you leave now and Allie has been hurt more than enough recently. She doesn't deserve this."

"She'll get over it eventually," Bilbo muttered softly. He shook his head and ran away as quickly as he could so that Tauriel couldn't see his breakdown.

He was nothing but a coward.


	57. Changing fate

**Chapter 57: Changing fate**

Allie was tapping absentmindedly with her fingers on the side of the large table in the council chambers. With her other hand she was fluttering through the pages of a book that Balin had recently handed to her. She wasn't certain how long she had been sitting here today looking through different books but she felt her head growing heavier with every second.

"I cannot concentrate if you keep making a racket like that," Balin scolded her when he grew irritated with her tapping.

The dwarf had been assisting Allie with looking for any law that would allow to resign her rights as a sovereign. They had spent an awful lot of time together searching through different documents and books for any clue that this was possible, but they hadn't been successful at all.

"Have you found anything yet?" Allie asked impatiently.

Balin chewed on his cheek. "Unfortunately not, lass. I'm starting to believe that no such law exists that can take your reign away from you since there is no heir to the throne left other than you. I've searched through so many different documents already. I'm getting rather tired of it."

His answer didn't reassure Allie in the slightest. Ever since she had been crowned Queen she had wanted nothing more than to get rid of that crown on her head and all the responsibilities that came along with it because she didn't want it.

The door of the council chambers loudly slammed open as Dain strode inside. "No luck at all," the dwarf cried out. He too had been aiding Allie and Balin with their search and had looked through the library inside the mountain. "There is no law."

"Thanks for looking anyway," Allie said somewhat somber. "I'm wondering if its possible for me to just hand my rights to a willing person?"

Balin narrowed his eyes. "I'm not so certain if that can be done. You would have to find a person who is suitable as a sovereign and who can rule your people in the way that they deserve. Not everyone is cut out for that."

"I'm sure there must be someone in Erebor who is eager for that position," Allie replied stubbornly.

"I don't think so," Balin said with a sigh. "Remember that there aren't that many dwarves present in Erebor at the moment. You would have to wait for the delegation from the Blue Mountains to arrive to see if there is a candidate among them. Still I wouldn't put my hope on that."

"I think I have a suggestion," Dain said which earned their earnest attention. "You know that I'm already the leader of the Ironhills so I know what is required to guide people. There is a strong alliance between the Ironhills and Erebor because we are kin, Allie. That is why I am more than willing to take over your burden as a ruler of your people."

Allie wasn't sure if she had just heard Dain correctly as he jaw fell agape. "You want to take over my reign as ruler?" she asked to be certain.

"Only if you want me to," Dain said. "We are kin after all and this is the least thing that I can do for you. It shouldn't matter to me to rule Erebor as well as long as you want me to."

Allie let out a happy shriek as she leaped onto her feet and threw her arms around Dain to pull the broad dwarf in for a warm embrace. "I cannot believe that you're willing to do all this for me. I cannot thank you enough for doing so, Dain. This means the world to me."

"Don't worry about it," Dain said with a deep chuckle. "It is my honor."

Allie then turned to Balin who was laughing gleefully as he saw that look on her face. "Thank you for everything that you've done for me, Balin. I'm absolutely speechless," she said thankfully.

"Don't thank me. We will hold a ceremony within a few days where you can resign your rights as Queen and that we can officially crown Dain as the ruler of Erebor. Allie, you're no longer a Queen anymore and you're free to fill in your life the way you want it. Go and find Bilbo."

Allie gratefully kissed Balin's cheek as she turned around and ran out of the council chambers feeling more free than she had done in a long time. She wasn't certain where Bilbo was hiding but she was hoping to ask some of the dwarves if they had seen the Halfling anywhere.

Carefully Allie stepped around the corner of the corridor only to see something she hadn't expected at all. Tauriel was standing with her back against the wall as Yldris was busy with sucking bruises into the elf's neck. Apparently the two of were having a rather intimate moment together. Their clothes had slightly come undone.

"Tauriel," Allie gently said because she didn't want to startle them. "It's me Allie."

"A-Allie," Tauriel began nervously. Yldris was adjusting her clothes so they were more presentable. "Yldris and I we -"

"You two love each other?" Allie interrupted her with a warm smile on her lips. Slowly Tauriel nodded. "Then that is perfectly fine. Why should you worry about that?"

"Is it? It isn't exactly common anywhere in Middle-Earth that two women are in love with each other. When I first started to develop feelings for Yldris I thought that I was going insane because some people described such relationships between two women or two men as unnatural. Only it didn't feel unnatural to me. When Yldris reciprocated those feelings I was overjoyed. We had to hide our feelings for two hundred years."

"You two have been together much longer than I have been alive," Allie replied. "There is nothing to be ashamed about what you and Yldris are feeling for each other."

"Are such relationships common among dwarven folk?" Yldris asked him.

"Not exactly," Allie replied honestly. "I know a few couples like that in the Blue Mountains, but they mostly keep to themselves. Eitherway I wish that you two didn't have to hide your feelings at all. Have you thought about leaving Mirkwood?"

Tauriel and Yldris exchanged a loving look with each other. "We are actually planning on leaving soon," Yldris admitted. "We intend to explore Middle-Earth together because we have all the time in the world. There's just nothing we want more than be together."

Allie was immensely pleased with that answer and surprised both elven women by wrapping her arms around them. "Tauriel, I completely understand why you didn't tell me about Yldris before. I just want you to know that I'm happy for both you."

"Thank you, Allie," Tauriel gratefully replied. "You've been nothing but a wonderful friend to me and I haven't known you all that long."

"I would be more than honored to be friends to both you and Yldris if you'd have me," Allie said sincerely. In all honesty she had never had female friends before in her life until she met Tauriel. Allie had grown incredibly fond of the captain of the Mirkwood guard. She was more than excited to get to know Yldris better as well.

"Of course, Allie," Yldris agreed.

"We'll talk more about this another time," Allie replied. "I've meaning to tell you that I no longer am a Queen anymore as just now. I'm resigning my rights."

"I'm so happy to hear that, Allie!" Tauriel exclaimed happily and this time she wrapped her arms around her friend who laughed contently at her actions. "You deserve this more than anything! What does Bilbo think about this?"

Allie slowly pulled back. "I still haven't spoken to Bilbo since all of this has happened. I was actually looking for him so that I could talk to him about it."

Tauriel's face somewhat fell. "I ran into Bilbo the other day and he told me that he was planning to leave Erebor within two days with Gandalf because he actually believes that you don't want him in your life anymore. He looked terrible and he's absolutely broken."

Allie's world fell silent as she heard that. "Bilbo's leaving?" she repeated in disbelieve.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. According to everyone he hasn't been seen at all inside the mountain after what happened until yesterday and he intented to leave as soon as he could. I've told him to ask you about what you wanted, but he simply fled," Tauriel told her.

Allie her hands began to shake as she processed that information. She couldn't believe that Bilbo was actually leaving Erebor for such a foolish reason without even talking to her. They had planned their whole future together and he was throwing all of that away for nothing.

"I have to find him," Allie insisted desperately. "I cannot lose Bilbo."

With that Allie turned around and ran away at a rapid pace to prevent Bilbo from permanently leaving her life.


	58. The chase

**Chapter 58: The chase**

Allie couldn't remember the last time she had ran this much in her life and she cursed her luck. There were many different places inside Erebor where Bilbo could be hiding and Allie had searched all of them in the hope for any sign of the Halfling, but she hadn't been able to trace him anywhere.

She had even continued her search throughout the night and had asked some of the dwarves if they had seen Bilbo anywhere. It was almost as if Bilbo had completely vanished from the earth without leaving any trail for her to follow. There was a part of her that wondered that Bilbo could be hiding somewhere deep inside the mountain while he was wearing his ring because he didn't want to be found. If that was truly the case than there would be no way for her ever find Bilbo inside Erebor.

All that she knew was that Bilbo intended to leave this day, but she had no idea where he would be departing from and at what time. Allie simply didn't allow herself a moment of rest until she at least had given everything that she had to try and find Bilbo. She would never forgive herself if he could just walk out of her life as if everything between them had meant nothing. She had to find him one final time.

Bombur had suggested for Allie to search the outskirts of the mountain since he had ran into Bilbo there two days prior. That was why Allie was running with a rapid pace through the halls of the mountain to get there. Only when she had finally made it to the outskirt she realized that Bilbo hadn't been there in a while. The only trace that he had ever been here was the acorn that he picked up in Beorn's garden that was currently lying on the ground. Clearly he had forgotten all about it when he had fled away from the company.

She picked up the acorn and stuffed it inside her pocket as she returned back inside the mountain with a heavy heart. "You're never going to find him again, Allie," she said to herself. "He doesn't want to be found. It's better to give up already."

This time Allie was walking because she had been running the whole night and she absolutely devastated because she believed that Bilbo had already left her without saying as much as goodbye to her after everything they've been through together.

"Ah, Allie. There you are," Gandalf said once he caught sight of her. "I've heard from Balin that you're no longer Queen anymore so I should congratulate you. You know that I'm supposed to be leaving Erebor today soon. I take it that Bilbo hasn't asked you to come with us."

Allie shook her head. "No, he hasn't talked to me at all. I've been meaning to find him actually. Do you know where I can possibly find him?"

The wizard scratched his chin. "We were planning to meet each other at the entrance of Erebor soon because we are departing within twenty minutes and -"

There was no chance for Gandalf to finish his sentence because Allie was already running in the direction that Gandalf had just given her. This was her final chance to try and find Bilbo before it was too late and she would never see him again.

She felt her throat burning with each step, but didn't slow her down at all. There would be time to rest if this was over. At this moment she was rather driven to get there on time and had even increased her speed. Allie couldn't think that she had ever ran this fast in her life. She simply couldn't waste any precious time. Every second mattered.

As Allie neared the exit of Erebor she was able to see Bilbo standing there in the distance with his back towards her. He was staring at something at the horizon and wasn't aware that she was coming towards him. That meant that he she was still on time and Bilbo hadn't left yet.

"Were you just going to leave without saying good bye to me?" Allie asked when she had made it close enough to him. Tauriel hadn't been lying when she had told her that Bilbo had looked terrible. He obviously hadn't payed much attention to his looks and the dirt that had gotten stuck onto his skin told her that he spent a long time outside.

Bilbo spun around at the sound of her voice and looked at her as if the mere sight of her tormented him. "I have no choice, Allie. I have to leave."

"Why did you never come and talk to me?" Allie wanted to know as she felt her throat tightening. "I've been waiting all this for you to visit me so that we could talk about our future together, but you never came. I thought you were grieving on your own and needed time for yourself. And when I was looking for you no one knew where you were. It was absolute torture."

"You're the Queen of Erebor," Bilbo responded as if that would explain everything. "You have important duties now. The people of Erebor need you and you have too much of a big heart to walk away from that. I know that there is no place for me in your life anymore."

"You're a coward, Bilbo Baggins," Allie snapped with uncontrollable emotions. "Had you talked to me none of this would've could have talked about this."

"I cannot stay here, Allie," Bilbo made clear and his words visibly pained him. "Staying here with the knowledge that I can never have you again hurts more than anything and I cannot bear another day like that. I want to go home so that I can finally be rid of all this."

"You've never asked me what way I wanted."

"Should that matter? You're a Queen for crying out loud," Bilbo said.

"I'm not though," Allie replied with a low voice.

Bilbo frowned. "Not what?"

Allie crossed her arms. "A Queen anymore. I've spent weeks with Balin and Dain of coming up with a way of removing that crown from my head and we've finally found one. Dain is to take over my reign within a few days and then I am to be free to do as I please."

"Allie, I didn't know and -"

"Of course you didn't because you hadn't bothered to talk to me," Allie went on. "I immediately went to look for you so that we could talk about our plans for the future. Tauriel told me what you had said to her about leaving Erebor because you thought that I didn't want you anymore. That is absolutely ridiculous, Bilbo. I've spent the whole night looking for you and I even feared that you were hiding somewhere inside the mountain while you were wearing that stupid ring of yours so that I would never find you. I just had to talk to you one last time before you would disappear out of my life for good."

Bilbo wasn't sure how he could react to that and was silent for a moment.

"I want you to honestly tell me what you want for your future," Allie insisted, her voice gentler this time. "If you want me to walk away from you then I will do that. Just tell me the truth so we both can get over this."

Bilbo swallowed loudly as he took a few steps towards her. "I do want to go home to the Shire and to my armchair in the drawing room. Only I want you to come with me like we've promised each other so that I can marry you and grow old with you so that we can argue about which flavoured cake is the superior one. I want everything as long as it has you in it, Allie."

Allie hadn't expected that answer at all and it was enough to bring tears to her eyes as she felt warmth spreading inside her chest. For the last few days she had never dared to imagine that this was what Bilbo wanted for the both of them. She had truly thought that this was to be the last time that she would ever see him and hearing him say this out loud really stirred a lot of emotions inside of her.

"And what do you want for your future, Allie Fairchild?" he asked her.

She closed the distance between them and rested one of her hands on his chest while the other went to the nape of his neck. "I want all of that too, Bilbo. I still want you to teach me how to garden like an ordinary hobbit and for you to show me around Hobbiton as your wife. I need you to take me home."

Bilbo let his emotions take control as he crashed his lips into hers and Allie immediately leaned into him. It had been too long ago since they had last kissed each other and they both were relishing into the other their touch.

"You haven't properly asked me yet," Allie said against his lips.

"Asked you what?" Bilbo repeated dumbfounded as he pulled back so that he could look her in the eyes and saw a certain glint inside them.

"To marry you."

"I don't have a ring with me."

"That shouldn't matter. It's the thought that counts really," Allie assured him with a happy chuckle. She was already over the moon because of how things were going between her and Bilbo now. Not too long ago she had thought that she had lost him for good and here they were making official plans for the future.

Bilbo knew that he wanted to make this moment as special as he could so that Allie knew for sure how much that he truly loved her after everything that had happened. This was going to be their way to start all fresh together.

"First I want to apologize for the all the pain that I've recently caused you. When I had signed up for this Quest I had never in my wildest dreams envisioned that I would meet the love of my life as well," Bilbo began sincerely as he spoke from the bottom of his heart. "Every day that I've got to spent with you has been a true blessing because I've got to know you better with each day. You've showed me that no matter what size a person has that there is courage hidden deep inside of them. I have promised your father that I would properly marry you and that I would take you home to Bag End with him. I want nothing more than to spent the remainder of my days with you at my side as you make me the happiest Halfling in all of Middle-Earth."

Being the gentlemen that he was Bilbo went down on one knee as he grabbed Allie's hand in his.

"Allie Fairchild, will you marry me?" he asked her.

Allie gave him a loving look. "Do you even have to ask?"

"You just told me to ask you," Bilbo reminded her with a chuckle.

"I'm just messing with you, Bilbo. I want nothing more than to become your wife, so of course my answer is yes!" Allie told him in true bliss.

Bilbo laughed louder he got onto his feet and placed another kiss against her lips, but this time it was much lighter then their previous one. It did seal everything that they found with each other.

The kiss would've had continued had it not been for someone who cleared its throat behind them. Allie and Bilbo abruptly broke apart only to see that the entire company had gathered there with Gandalf. Clearly they had arrived here for the departure of Gandalf and Bilbo, and hadn't realized that this could've happened. Only all the dwarves seemed to look rather smug about it.

"I do believe congratulations are in order about your engagement then," Dwalin said with a blinding grin.

"Congratulations!" all the dwarves echoed together.

"I'm truly happy for you, Allie," Balin said as he took a few steps towards them. "I take it that you'll be joining Bilbo on his journey homewards to the Shire."

"I most certainly am," Allie said as she smiled brazingly at Bilbo since she still had her arm around his neck and her other hand on his abdomen. "But first Bilbo is coming with me." She didn't give Bilbo any time to argue with her because she had tightly grabbed his wrist to pull him along with her into the mountain as she laughed in that cheeky way to have some proper time alone with him to make up for all the time that they had lost.

The loud laughter of the dwarves followed them on the way back.


	59. Wedding vows

**Chapter 59: Wedding vows**

 _Bilbo Baggins P.O.V._

Bilbo was tugging at the cuffs on the sleeve of the coat that he was wearing. Bofur, Ori and Dwalin had shown up early at the chambers that Bilbo had slept the previous night so that they could help him prepare for today's events and doff him up.

"Is this really necessary?" Bilbo asked unsure as he shimmied around in the burgundy colored coat that they had chosen for him. It was similar to the waistcoat he had been wearing for the entirety of the journey, only this was was more of more expensive material and had never been worn before.

"Well it is your wedding today," Bofur reminded him with a chuckle. "Unless you want to take your vows in nothing but your skin. I'm sure Allie would be pleased."

"Where did you even get these clothes?" Bilbo gestured as he pulled the black breeches up a little. The breeches had been sewn and adjusted especially for him so that they ended at his ankles and his feet were bare. Bilbo had even groomed the hair on his feet earlier.

"They were made for dwarven royalty many years ago," Dwalin told him. "Only they have never been worn at all nor have they been touched since Smaug arrived here."

"It took some time to get everything adjusted just for your size," Ori admitted with a laugh. "You look incredibly dapper in them though."

Bilbo could only smile at them. "Thanks for everything."

"How are the nerves holding on?" Bofur asked curiously.

"I don't really feel that much nerves actually," Bilbo replied honestly. "I'm just more than thankful that I can finally marry Allie so that we can start the next phase of our life together. Allie has been hurt enough."

"You're right of course," Dwalin said as he placed a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "Also let's not forget you're marrying the only woman that any person in his right mind would never argue with."

Bilbo made a face at the dwarf. "I don't intend to. I'll make her happy, guys."

"Good," Ori said. "Because that's exactly what Allie deserves. Before we leave for the ceremony you need to brush that unruly hair of yours first. You cannot show up at your own wedding like that."

Bilbo laughed with mirth as Ori tossed him a comb.

* * *

"Ow, that hurts," Allie cried out as Yldris was busy with brushing a knot out of Allie's red curls.

"Sorry, Allie," Yldris apologized sincerely. "This knot is quite a nuance. I'm almost through it."

"Don't brush too hard or Allie might end up bald," Tauriel teased joyfully.

The two elves had been more than kind to assist Allie with getting dressed. Allie had tried to argue with them about it but they had insisted. Now that they were here Allie was kind of glad for the company that they were providing her. She felt more at ease because she was able to talk with them.

They had already helped Allie into a long silver ball-gown that was embroiled with the symbol of the Durin family. The dress had no sleeves but tiny straps and the hem reached the floor. It was embroidered with tiny white flowers on the top of the skirt and the top of the heartline. There were tiny sparkles in the skirt which shimmered a little in the light as she moved in it. She was wearing neat small silver shoes underneath it anyway.

Tauriel was busy with painting Allie's lips a dark shade of red while Yldris was braiding her hair at the same time. "Are you excited?" Yldris asked then.

Allie flashed them a generous smile. "I most certainly am. I don't feel any nerves. Just excitement."

"You make a beautiful bride," Tauriel said with a grin. "Bilbo is a very lucky man."

"He knows that," Allie replied gleefully.

There came a few knocks on the door and Allie muttered an 'enter' and almost immediately Dwalin entered. "You look absolutely stunning, Allie," he complimented when he took in what she was wearing. "Are you ready for it?"

"Yeah, I am," Allie assured as she approached him so that she could hook her arm through his. Dwalin had the honor of walking her down the aisle today because he was the dwarf that she felt closest with after her father. Balin was in charge of leading this ceremony which was why it had been an easy choice for Allie to ask Dwalin for this.

They left the bedchambers that Allie had been staying at and they went down a long hallway. Allie realized that she hadn't been lying when she had told Yldris and Tauriel that she wasn't nervous because she was more than eager to get there.

"Allie, I want you to know that I've always valued you as my own kin," Dwalin said while they kept walking. "I am immensely proud of the woman that you've grown up to be and everything that you've accomplished in your young life."

His words honestly warmed her heart. "Do not make this speech too emotional because I might end up crying before my wedding ceremony has even begun and you'll be undoing all of Yldris and Tauriel's work," she replied in a lighthearted manner.

"Sorry, Allie," he retorted with a deep chuckle. "I meant what I said though. You deserve to be happy with Bilbo. Your father would've wanted that for you as well."

Allie stopped in her tracks when they were close to their destination so that she could pull the dwarf in for a warm embrace. "Thank you, Dwalin," she said. "You have always been there in my life when I needed you and I will cherish those memories until I draw my final breath."

They pulled apart when they heard footsteps and saw Dori and Nori approach them with great haste. They too pulled Allie in for a brief hug to let her know how much they valued her.

"You've got to go," Dori said as he and Nori practically ushered her and Dwalin forwards. "Everyone is already waiting for you."

As Allie entered the large and vast throne hall she noticed that the hall had been decorated in a dwarven style and there were even flower ornaments that the dwarves must've found somewhere. It did give the throne room a completely different look.

Allie recognized a lot of familiar faces in the crowd and was thankful that everyone was here to see her get married to the love of her life. Her gaze lingered to the front of the hall where Bilbo was waiting for her. His usually messy hair had been neatly brushed and the dwarves had insited that would wear clothes that were suited for royalty. The deep burgundy coat looked incredibly good on Bilbo's slim frame.

She saw how Bilbo took in what she was wearing and how his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Balin gave Bilbo a mere slap on his shoulder so that he would close his mouth again. Allie could only chuckle as she witnessed that.

And then she was there and Bilbo was holding her hands in his. His blue eyes were sparkling with mirth as they refused to look away from her. "Allie, you look absolutely breathtaking," he told her in complete amazement.

Allie flashed him the largest smile possible. "Thank you, look incredibly handsome yourself. I like what they made you wear," she told him cheekily. "Did you brush your feet too?"

Bilbo laughed at that sudden question. "Yes, I did. I didn't think you would notice that so soon."

"How can I not?"

Balin cleared his throat which let them know that the ceremony had begun. He had promised both of them that this wasn't going to last that long which was something they were both thankful for.

While Balin was talking Allie began to study how incredibly handsome Bilbo was looking at that very moment. She knew well enough that she was incredibly fortunate that Bilbo was going to be her husband and she was going to be able to tell him that she loved him every day from now on. She could only thank Aule for gifting her Bilbo.

"Allie," Bilbo quietly called her name when he saw that she was lost in her thoughts and hadn't heard Balin ask her a question.

She turned her head to Balin who chuckled amusingly and repeated it for her. "Allie Fairchild, is it your wish to become one with this man?"

It was the easiest answer that she had ever given. "Yes, with all my heart."

"Bilbo Baggins, is it your wish to become one with this woman?" Balin asked him.

Bilbo's smile was so bright that it caused Allie's knees to buckle. "Yes, it is."

There were no rings for them to exchange because Bilbo hadn't been able to find a ring for Allie that he thought was suited for her. He wanted something that would be perfect in his eyes and would fit Allie. That was why he would probably continue his search for a ring in the Shire.

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife," Balin announced. Bilbo easily leaned fowards to kiss his endearing wife on her lips and he could hear everyone in the crowd loudly clapping and cheering. Bilbo kissed her as if she meant everything to him. The kiss wasn't exactly that long but it was incredibly sweet and sealed their future together.

"My Miss Baggins," Bilbo said to her in a charming way as he pulled back. He couldn't be happier than he had been at that very moment because he was finally holding his wife in his arms.

"That does sound good," Allie said gleefully as she kissed him again. " _My Zinlaz_."

"What does that mean?"

"My star."

Balin meanwhile gestured for Dain to make his way to the front of the hall. "I think most of you all are aware that our Allie resented being crowned Queen, but during those three weeks that she has been our ruler she has been a Queen that everyone could be proud of. Still Allie is resigning her rights as a sovereign so that she can happily leave for the Shire with her husband. That is why we've arranged for someone else to take over her reign. Dain, can you kneel down?"

Dain didn't hesitate and knelt down.

"Dain Ironfoot, do you solemnly swear to protect the people of Erebor and lead them to prosperity?" Balin asked him.

"I solemnly swear to do so," Dain promised.

Balin lowered the crown on the top of Dain's head. It was a rather simple crown that had once belonged Allie's great-grandfather Thror, but it suited the dwarf nicely.

"Long live the King!" Allie bellowed loudly as everyone in the crowd joined in. It was officially over for her now. She was no longer Queen of Erebor and she was free to follow her heart and it was absolutely amazing.

After the ceremony there was a feast to celebrate it. Bombur had arranged food for all the guests that were present. There was even plenty of mead and wine to drink for everyone.

Shortly after the feast had started Allie and Bilbo were already running away from the throne halls and had successfully escaped from their own feast. Bilbo was tightly holding her hand as he leaded her up a flight of stairs.

"Do you think anyone noticed that we've fled?" Allie asked while she was laughing merrily. She wasn't able to run that fast because of what she was wearing and had pulled up her skirt with her other hand so that she could move around easier.

"I don't exactly care about that to be honest," Bilbo said, chuckling. "I just want to spend some time alone with my beautiful wife."

He escorted her into their joined chambers and closed the door behind them so that they wouldn't be disturbed by anyone. This moment was going to be only about the two of them.

Allie's mouth had already found his and Bilbo tasted like home. There was just something about the way his curved lips felt against her that made her shiver. It was something she could never get enough of. Her hands were smoothing over Bilbo's chest.

Bilbo sucked a spot right next to Allie's collarbone which earned him a breathy sound as Allie moved her hands to rest lightly on his back. He had enthused the first moan from her lips as he his hands cupped her breast through her dress.

"Such a tease," Allie said with a groan. "How about if I reverse our roles?"

Bilbo couldn't react to that because Allie's slender hands were shoving his coat off and threw it somewhere on the ground nearby. She cleverly unbuttoned his shirt which amazed Bilbo before throwing that away as well. Her mouth was then placing feather-light kisses onto his breastbone.

His breathing went raspy as Allie's toyed with a nipple. Bilbo's finger dug into her back as he moaned quietly. Normally Bilbo had been the one who was focused on pleasing Allie, but this time Allie was definitely in charge. Bilbo Baggins was more than happy to receive.

"How is that so far, husband of mine?" she asked with a brazen smile as she placed more kisses across his torso and reached his abdomen.

"You truly are a gift, Allie Baggins," he told her fondly.

 _Allie Baggins_. There was something about the way that her new name sounded that caused a warmth to spread inside her chest. It indicated that she was truly Bilbo's wife which was a wonderful thing.

She knelt onto the ground so that she could unclasp Bilbo's breeches and easily tugged them on the ground. Bilbo's cock sprong free and was already leaking with precome. It stood tall and wanting as Allie wrapped her hand around it.

"Ah-Allie," Bilbo groaned at the touch when she stroked his cock. "You don't have to do this."

She looked up to meet his gaze and Bilbo noticed that her eyes had darkened with lust. "I want to, Bilbo," she assured him. "Just let me try something."

She started to lick Bilbo's cock, giving little kitten licks to the wet head. Cautiously she let the tip slip into her mouth and sucked slowly. Allie wasn't certain what she was doing but from the way that Bilbo was moaning she assumed that she was doing a decent job with it. Allie bobbed on him, gagging when Bilbo's cock hit the back of her throat.

Bilbo never would've guessed that she had never done this before.

"Come here," Bilbo said when Allie pulled back with a plop. He cupped her face and kissed her red lips as he lifted her onto her feet. Her tongue was parting his lips as Bilbo unlaced her dress which pooled on the floor. She was nipping at his bottom lip, and kissing him more forcefully. Bilbo's gently made Allie lay down on the bed as he leaned over her. "I'll never get over how beautiful you are."

"There's no need for that," Allie reassured cheekily. "You can do with me as you wish every day because I'm yours."

He started licking and sucking her hardened nipples which caused Allie to writh underneath him. Bilbo grabbed her wrists so that he could pin them above her head and she would stop moving.

"This is unfair, Bilbo," Allie complained with a huff.

Bilbo shushed her. "It won't be."

The sweet scent of her skin was strong in his nose as Bilbo licked a trail across her breastbone before going down. He could hear her laboured breathing as he kissed her navel the white scar on her abdomen. Allie was already wet from all the foreplay which made it easy for Bilbo to push a finger inside of her.

" _Ah! Bilbo_ ," she cried out as she arched her back. Her hands found his hair which had gone messy again from all the times that she had touched it so far. Bilbo inserted two more fingers as his tongue began to lick her clit. Allie threw back her head to let out a deep moan. "Bilbo, wait." She waited until he was looking at her and his pupils were completely blown. "Can we do something else?"

Bilbo let out a wicked grin at her request. "Your wish is my command, my dear wife," he assured her which caused Allie to giggle merrily.

Bilbo cock was still hard and leaking as he slid into her with a low grunt. He took a moment to adjust to her wet heat surrounding his cock until he pulled himself all the way back before pushing back in again.

" _Bilbo. Bilbo. Bilbo_ ," Allie said his name like a mantra as he began to fuck her in earnest. Her eyes were shut as her nails ranking her nails down Bilbo's back. She raised her hips to meet his trust so that Bilbo could take her deeply.

Bilbo wanted to let Allie know how much that he truly loved her and that he was excited about their future together. He wanted this to mean something to hear and from the way that she moaned into his neck he knew that she shared that opinion.

"Bilbo, I'm -"Allie stuttered and Bilbo smiles against her mouth as he kisses her again, first on the lips, then over her face.

"Come for me, my Queen," he encouraged her sweetly.

Allie hissed a loud and startled 'Oh' as she rode out her wave. Bilbo held her through it. He followed her only a few seconds later as he spilled inside of her, warm and intimate.

"How was that?" Allie asked once she had found her breath and rested her sweated forehead against his.

"You were perfect, Allie Baggins," he told her as he kissed his wife again.


	60. The last goodbye

**This is the final chapter in this story but it's not the end yet. I'll post a sequel to this story on here tomorrow which will follow Bilbo and Allie's life together at the Shire. Stay tuned for that. I just want to thank everyone who read this story and has taken the time to leave a review. You are all wonderful. I hope you loved this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It took a few years to complete it and I decided to post like all the last 30 chapters in one day, but I still had fun haha. Thank you again! x**

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 **Chapter 60: The last goodbye**

Bilbo's soft snoring in her ears was enough to wake Allie up. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that it was the middle of the night and that Bilbo was lying behind her and his arms were tightly wrapped around her middle to keep her close. He was still heavily asleep as his warm breath brushed her neck. Sleep wouldn't come to her. Every time she had closed her eyes a nightmare of her late kin came to haunt her. She was restless and it would only be a matter of time until she would wake Bilbo with all her actions.

Carefully Allie freed herself from Bilbo's hold on her without waking him up and walked away to the nearby sofa on the other side of the chambers so that Bilbo could sleep peacefully. She wasn't wearing any clothes and felt a chill set in her skin when she saw that the hearth had completely burned out during the night.

Allie could feel a pit of anxiety building inside her stomach as she sat down on the sofa. Today was the day that they would start their return journey to the Shire which was going to take them months at least, and Allie wasn't exactly looking forward to say farewell to the people that she had known her whole life. They had supported her through so much and the thought of possibly never seeing them again was painful.

She knew that she was going to miss them an awful lot when she would wake away from here. Throughout her life she had constantly been surrounded by dwarves and not having them at her side was something didn't want to think about. Of course she wanted to leave with Bilbo more than anything, but parting with more people caused her heart to ache already.

"Allie, why on earth are you awake already?" Bilbo then asked as she approached her and was rubbing the sleep out of his blue eyes. "It's not even dawn yet."

Allie flashed an apologetic smile at him. "I didn't want to wake you, Bilbo," she explained. "I couldn't sleep and I kept tossing and turning. That was why I got out of the bed actually."

Bilbo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You didn't, Allie. I just woke up because you weren't there anymore. Weren't you able to sleep because of our departure?"

"Yes, I'm resenting that I have to say farewell to people I care a lot about," Allie enlightened him and took a deep breath. "Life is just going to be so strange without them."

"Allie, that is only to be expected," Bilbo replied thoughtfully. "They are like kin to you and you might not see them again. That's going to be tough to walk away from and I'm certain some tears will be spilled." He pushed a red strand of her curls behind her ear. "I am certain that with time the pain will lessen for you."

"Yeah, I've spent more than ninety years with these dwarves," Allie said as she thought back at those moments that she had spent with them.

Bilbo chuckled at that. "I still cannot believe you're that much older than I am."

Allie grinned at him. "I don't look a day older than you do. Hobbits and dwarves just age completely different. You're adults at thirty three whereas dwarves are off age around sixty. We also get a lot older than hobbits do so I'd say we're about the same age if you were to compare us."

"So we can still grow old together, my _dorzada_?" It was a word that Allie had taught him last night and it was basically used as a pet name for someone that you love. Bilbo had immediately said that he was going to start calling her that from now on and she thought it was incredibly sweet.

"Until we're gray and wrinkly, my _zinlaz_."

Bilbo closed the distance between them and feel the warmth of her skin as he placed his hand on her lower waist. "I love the sound of that, Allie Baggins," he told her with glee in his eyes as he leaned forwards to lay a kiss on her pink lips. He could tell that Allie was raveling under his touch.

A couple of days ago Allie had requested that new traveling clothes would be prepared for her departure. Ori had been the one in charge of resizing everything because he was secretly skilled with a needle and a thread. He had delivered these clothes to her yesterday so that she could start the journey homewards fresh. It existed of a grey shirt with long sleeves and thick matching breeches and brown boots. Ori had really outdone himself with making sure that everything fitted Allie perfectly. She had quickly untangled her red curls and had eventually weaved them into a simple braid.

Bilbo was holding Allie's hand as the two of them left the chambers that they had been staying in. With every step that Allie took she felt dread growing inside of her and she tried to take in as much of Erebor as she could. She was certain that she would still be able to remember the details of this place years from now.

As they stepped outside and were welcomed by a rather warm morning sun they saw that all the dwarves and Gandalf were already waiting for them. A bit further away from them Thranduil's delegation was also preparing for their departure. Allie's heart broke at the sight of all these dwarves that she had shared so many painful and beautiful memories with.

While Bilbo turned to some of the dwarves Ori approached Allie and handed her a sketchbook. Her lips parted as she took it from him and began to flutter through the pages to study the different drawings that Ori had made for her. There had been many new ones since the last time she had been able to have a look. This time Ori had added a few drawings from her wedding which he must've been working on till late last night so that it would be finished before her departure. There were also plenty of drawings of Allie with some of the company members, but most importantly was that drawing of her and her father. Her throat tightened as she saw her father looking back at her from the page because it looked that real.

"Ori," Allie began completely speechless. "All of these drawings are absolutely beautiful. You must've been working so hard on some of these to finish them. I am completely blown away by your skills. I can assure you that I will cherish these drawings for the rest of my life and that I will look at them whenever I miss all of you."

"I'm glad to hear that you like them, Allie," Ori replied with a huge grin glued onto his face.

Allie leaned closer to give the young dwarf a kiss on his right cheek. "Ori, I can assure you that this means the world to me. I also wanted to thank you for making these clothes for me that I can wear on the way back. I must say that they are incredibly comfortable."

"It was my pleasure," he assured her.

As Allie turned away she was almost immediately wrapped into a shared embrace by Oin and Gloin which caused her to chuckle because she hadn't seen it coming. "You sure know how to surprise a lass," she said heartily.

"We didn't mean to startle you," Oin explained with a deep laugh. "We merely wanted to say farewell to you before anyone else would."

"Allie, we need you to know that we've always valued you as one of us," Gloin told her sincerely. "You mean a great deal to all of us."

"Thank you," Allie replied gratefully. "Please do give my kind regards to Gimli and your wife when they finally make it to Erebor."

Allie was then approached by Bifur who began to talk to her in Khuzdul. " _You've always been a light in darkness, Allie. Having known you has been a true pleasure and I hope the rest of your life is fulfilled with beautiful things, "_ he told her. Bifur wasn't someone who usually shared a lot of words with her and this was actually one of the first times that he said something so kind to her.

She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the dwarf for a few moments. " _And you have been nothing but kind to me, Bofur. May the rest of your life be dedicated to that toymaking you've always so enjoyed,"_ she replied and heard Bifur laugh at her reply.

"Hurry up, Bifur," Dori chimed in. "You're taking way too long. It's our turn now." He wedged himself between them so that he was suddenly hugging Allie instead who was chuckling at the dwarf his reaction.

"There's no need to rush, Dori," she reassured him. "I'm still here."

"Yes, there is. You are leaving soon and there is a whole queue of dwarves waiting to say farewell to you," Dori enlightened her.

" _You should've waited your turn_!" Bifur scolded in Khuzdul, but Dori merely scoffed at his reaction.

"You're a good lass, Allie," Nori added as he suddenly was at her side. "You've aided me plenty of times and you've always been wonderful company."

"Allie, if someone deserves to be happy then it's you," Dori told her. "We will all cherish these memories that we have with you until we draw our final breath. It's been an absolute honor to get to know you."

Allie flashed them a large smile. "Both of you are far too kind," she replied as she kissed their cheeks in gratitude. "I will think of you often."

Bombur was next in line to say goodbye to her and he almost immediately wrapped his strong arms around her and let out a fruity laugh. "Allie, we didn't want to let you go without one final parting gift," he told her when he let go again and held up a leather rugsack. "We know that you're other bag has gotten destroyed which is why we've all decided to give you a new one for your journey home. We even added some personal parting gifts from all of us in there and enough supplies to last you for at least a weak. I even wrote down some recipes that I came up with myself. That way whenever you miss us or dwarven food you can use one of these recipies."

That was honestly the last thing that Allie had expected to happen. Surely she knew that the dwarves would give her at least something for her parting, but not something on which all the dwarves had worked together. With their actions that had showed her how much she had meant to all of them and that they wanted to honor her in the best way that they could.

"I don't know what to say," Allie said flabbergasted. "It's obvious that you all worked hard on this gift and I will treasure it. Bombur, I can guarantee you that I will use those recipes of yours everything that I miss Erebor and all you dwarves." She took her time to lay a kiss on the dwarf's cheek who laughed even louder.

As Allie turned away she was approached by Bofur who pulled her in for a warm embrace. "I can't believe this is actually happening," he said somewhat somber. "I hope with all my heart that you truly find happiness in the Shire with Bilbo. I just don't like that I might never see you again, Allie. I promise that I'm going to keep writing you letters to keep you updated about everything that's going on in Erebor and I expect letters back from you in return."

Allie laughed as wet tears rolled from her eyes. "Of course, I will write you a lot of letters to let you know how my life as a hobbit is enfolding. I'm convinced you want to read that."

Bofur let out a deep laugh. "Those are exactly the kind of letters that I hope to receive from you, lass," he assured her. "You're a feisty one, Allie Baggins. You sure have lightened up my life with your existence and you must know that. Life will be rather plain without your presence."

"Bofur, you're only going to make me cry more if you keep talking like that," she replied with a nervous chuckle. "No matter what happens I will not forget about you, Bofur." She kissed the dwarf's forehead for a few seconds to let him know that she meant every word.

Allie felt her throat tightening when she turned around and saw that there were only two dwarves left. She had already said farewell to the rest of them and she was dreading the final two more than anything.

"Come here, lass," Dwalin insisted as he wrapped his strong arms around her and she buried her head into the dwarf's shoulder and let her tears roam freely. She was shaking uncontrollably in his arms but he didn't seem to mind. "To tell you the truth is that I've always hoped that you would find your significant other in Erebor so that I would never have to say goodbye to you. It was already painful to have to lose my dearest friend and now you're leaving as well. Allie, you know that I've always cared about you as if you were my own kin and not because you were Thorin's daughter. I do not like it one bit that I'm not going to be there to look over you anymore, but your happiness comes first."

Allie pulled back so that she could look the dwarf in his eyes and saw that he was crying along with her. Clearly he was just as effected by her departure as she was.

"Dwalin, you've taught me so much and I cannot thank you enough for that," Allie began and her voice cracked. "I have always valued you as much own kin and I'll miss you enormously."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You may be the last of the Durins, but you carry their memory on inside of you," he told her. "Go live in the Shire and find that happiness you so desperately deserve."

"Thank you, Dwalin," she said gratefully as she kissed his forehead.

There was only one dwarf left and Allie didn't want to say goodbye to Balin because that meant that she might never see him again. From all the dwarves he certainly was one that she cared most about and he knew that. She didn't want to say goodbye to that and move on.

"Allie, it's alright," Balin assured her when she approached him. The old dwarf didn't bother to wipe away his tears as he pulled her in for a final embrace as Allie broke down in his arms.

"I can't do this, Balin," she sobbed into his shoulder. "How can I go on without you?"

"You're a strong woman, Allie Fairchild," he told her. "You've had your share of loss and that is over now. Things can only turn upwards for you now."

"Balin, you've taught me so much," Allie went on. "You've always been there to council me and I wouldn't be the woman that I am today if you hadn't been there to guide me. You've taught me everything."

"And I am immensely proud of the woman that you've become, Allie," Balin said fondly as he pulled back to rub some tears away from her face. "Don't see this as farewell, but merely as a goodbye. I do believe that I will see you again and I want you to hold onto that."

"Thank you, Balin." She took her time to kiss him goodbye. "Just for everything that you've done for me and my family."

"Allie, go and be happy," he told her as he carefully let go of her and Allie immediately missed his warmth.

"Are you ready to go home?" Bilbo asked with a huge grin as he held out his hand for her which she eagerly accepted.

"Yes, I think I am." Allie knew that if she would stay here much longer than she would burst into tears again. It would be better that they would leave soon so that they could start the next phase of their life together.

Bilbo had already said his farewell to the dwarves and had invited them all over for tea should they ever make their way to the Shire.

Allie cleared her throat as she blinked more tears from her eyes. "I am terrible at saying farewell," she began. "Know that you've all earned a special place in my heart and that I'll never forget about all of you. I will treasure all these memories that I have with you. You are all most welcome to visit us whenever you please. There should be plenty of food for all of you."

The dwarves bowed out of respect for both Allie and Bilbo and they could see that most of them were having difficulties with holding in their tears.

"It's time to go," Gandalf told them.

Allie flashed the dwarves one final smile before she trotted after Bilbo and Gandalf, eager to start the next phase of her life. She was ready to go home.


	61. Important update!

**I'm back! I've posted the entire sequel on in one go which you can find on my author's page or simply by looking for it on the hobbit page.**

 **s/12936838/1/That-s-home**

 **x Milou**


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